<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Return migration recently became of scientific interest on an intra-European scale. As remigrants bring along various forms of capital, this form of migration is frequently considered as an opportunity to revitalize rural communities. Since Romania entered the EU in 2007, a certain number of Transylvanian Saxons, i.e., ethnic Germans, who emigrated to Germany in the 1980s and 1990s, temporarily or permanently returned to rural Romania. By means of qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey among returnees and potential re-emigrants, this study provides empirical insights to the status quo and the potential of this phenomenon. A particular emphasis is given to their everyday practices and implications on the Transylvanian community, mostly aiming at preservation of the cultural heritage.</p></abstract>

Return migration recently became of scientific interest on an intra-European scale. As remigrants bring along various forms of capital, this form of migration is frequently considered as an opportunity to revitalize rural communities. Since Romania entered the EU in 2007, a certain number of Transylvanian Saxons, i.e., ethnic Germans, who emigrated to Germany in the 1980s and 1990s, temporarily or permanently returned to rural Romania. By means of qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey among returnees and potential re-emigrants, this study provides empirical insights to the status quo and the potential of this phenomenon. A particular emphasis is given to their everyday practices and implications on the Transylvanian community, mostly aiming at preservation of the cultural heritage.

Status Quo and Potential of Remigration Among Transylvanian Saxons to Rural Romania

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Return migration recently became of scientific interest on an intra-European scale. As remigrants bring along various forms of capital, this form of migration...

Status Quo and Potential of Remigration Among Transylvanian Saxons to Rural Romania

Published Online: Jan 11, 2019

Page range: 614 - 633

Received: May 14, 2018

Accepted: Oct 03, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2018-0034

Keywords
return migration, lifestyle migration, rural areas, regional development, Romania

© 2019 Stefan Kordel, Stefanie Lutsch, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Status Quo and Potential of Remigration Among Transylvanian Saxons to Rural Romania

Published Online: Jan 11, 2019

Page range: 614 - 633

Received: May 14, 2018

Accepted: Oct 03, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2018-0034

Keywordsreturn migration, lifestyle migration, rural areas, regional development, Romania

© 2019 Stefan Kordel, Stefanie Lutsch, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
return migration, lifestyle migration, rural areas, regional development, Romania