................................................................................................................................... 8 I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION: CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL DISCUSSIONS ...... 9 II. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 16 2.1. Population of the Study ...................................................................................................... 17 2.2. Research Sites and Selection Strategies ............................................................................. 18 2.3. Data Collection Technique: In-depth Interviews ............................................................... 19 2.4. Reflecting on myself as a research instrument ................................................................... 20 2.4.1. Researcher-Respondents‘ Effects ................................................................................. 20 2.5. Limitations of the Study ..................................................................................................... 22 III. SETTING THE STAGE: LITERATURE REVIEW ON MOTIVE TO REMIT ................... 24 3.1. The Tacit Contractual and Inheritance Models .................................................................. 24 3.2. The Prestige Model ............................................................................................................ 26 3.3. The Altruistic Model .......................................................................................................... 28 3.4. Gaps in Existing Models: Remittance and Transnational Ties .......................................... 29 3.5. The Salience of Transnational Family Belonging .............................................................. 30 3.6. Remittances as Transnational Social Goods ...................................................................... 34 IV. REMITTANCE AS A SOCIAL DEATH RESISTANCE PRACTICE ................................. 38 4.1. Tactics of Social Visibility: Remittance and Status ........................................................... 38 4.2. Exerting Transnational Control: Family Stress and Resilience ......................................... 43 4.2.1. Coerced Remittance? ................................................................................................... 44