In the first part of my final blog post I briefly discussed the migrant population of Iran and specifically addressed the importance of Iran as a labor migration destination for Afghans. For the final portion of my post, I will be examining what happens when a nation is so devastated economically that it cannot support […]
Iran
The Kolberi Life: Cross-Border Migration and the Struggle for Survival
Kolbers or kolbars are Kurdish laborers who transport goods from Iraqi Kurdistan to the Kurdish region of Iran– what Kurds call the Rojhelat. The average kolber is between the ages of 13 and 65.5 While kolberi used to predominantly be made up of male breadwinners, the practice has recently expanded to include young teenagers. Some […]
Development of Afghan Migration to Iran
For hundreds of years, Afghans have migrated to Iran in order to improve their livelihoods. In the 20th century, the first major wave of Afghan migration to Iran came with the monumental upswing of the Iranian oil industry. Through recruitment by the Iranian government, thousands of Afghan laborers came to Iran.3 The workers enjoyed better […]