PhD Thesis proposal

Invisible Lives: Discrimination, (Dis)Humanization, and Survival Strategies of Vulnerable South Asian Migrants in Portugal's Agricultural Sector in the Era of Populism

Supervisor/s: Pedro Góis and Rui Costa Lopes

Doctoral Programme: Sociology of the State, Law and Justice

Over the past decade, Portugal's agricultural sector has grown increasingly reliant on migrant workers from South Asia-primarily Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal-who are now essential to sustaining rural economies in regions such as Alentejo and Ribatejo. While these migrants play a critical role, they are simultaneously subject to overlapping and intersecting vulnerabilities, including labor exploitation, legal precarity, racialized discrimination, and substandard living conditions. The recent rise of far-right populism and the 2024 closure of key regularization pathways have further exacerbated these vulnerabilities, rendering the experiences and agency of South Asian migrants largely invisible within academic research and policy discourse.

This doctoral project addresses these gaps through a 48-month, convergent mixed-methods study that integrates qualitative ethnographic fieldwork, in-depth life-history interviews, participatory auto-photography, and critical discourse analysis, alongside quantitative methodologies such as structured surveys (n=120-150), regression modeling, and social network analysis. These methods will be implemented concurrently across Portugal's principal agricultural regions, allowing for robust triangulation and the systematic integration of qualitative, quantitative, and textual data through a triangulation matrix. Methodological rigor will be ensured through cross-validation, member checking with migrant participants and community stakeholders, and regular peer review involving an advisory panel composed of migrant representatives, academic supervisors, and NGO partners.

The research employs participatory, community-based recruitment strategies in collaboration with South Asian associations and NGOs, and utilizes multilingual, culturally adapted instruments co-developed in Bangla, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, and English. By foregrounding trauma-informed ethics and strict data security protocols, the study upholds the highest standards for research with vulnerable populations.

Anchored in an interdisciplinary framework that synthesizes labor segmentation theory, Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, critical discourse analysis, and the migration-resilience nexus, this project aims to critically examine the structural drivers of exploitation and marginalization; document and analyze the coping strategies and forms of agency employed by migrants; and co-produce evidence-based, rights-focused policy recommendations in collaboration with NGOs and community stakeholders. By centering participatory and decolonial methodologies, the study seeks to advance theoretical innovation, fill critical empirical gaps, and inform policy reforms that promote more equitable and just labor migration governance in rural Portugal. This research will also fill critical gaps in both academic knowledge and policy, providing a new model for ethical, participatory migration studies in Southern Europe.