South Asian migrants in Portugal – the case study of Nepali migrants in the agriculture sector

In this study, I depart from a comprehensive approach to a temporal turn in migration studies, complexity governance through “alienation” and the governance of migrants’ experiences of time, to highlight the temporary labour and borders regimes’ use of time as an oppression or protection tool over migrants – namely through urgency vs. postponement and the dyad stasis/speed, coupled with its implementation rhythm. This is a qualitative and interpretative research, combining data from semi-structured interviews with 36 Nepali migrants working in the agriculture sector in Portugal with participant observation, the field diary and ethnographic method. I will describe how stasis and speed are used as tools and manipulated by both migration and labour regimes, and how this frustrates the migrants’ expectations. The novelty of my contribution lies in the way it relates the use of time, urgency and postponement with both oppression and protection while underlining the effects of migration and temporary labour regimes on different groups of South Asian migrants in Portugal, focusing on the particular case study of the Nepali agriculture workers.