| dc.description.abstract | Abstract This thesis is an extensive analysis of the dynamic migratory process of Romania with a focus on return migration from Norway, and the sociocultural changes that it involves for Romanian migrants and their home societies. The literature review first presents a comprehensive analysis on return migration and development, followed by an outline of sociocultural change, the challenges that migrants face during emigration and return, the importance of social remittances, and the Romanian migration after state socialism. The methodology chapter discusses how the interviews were conducted in collecting primary data, and the use of secondary data based on the literature review of this qualitative research. The sociocultural effects of the Romanian migration are addressed in the findings chapter, and in the discussion and analysis chapter I discuss the insights into the social and cultural changes that emerge from the return of migrants to their home communities, aligning them with the literature. My analysis has three key findings. The first key finding illustrates that through their migratory experience from Norway, Romanian returnees internalized social remittances, and changed their attitudes, behaviour, values and expectations before disseminating their knowledge in their family and social environment. The second key finding is that the prevalence of social remittances was dependent in part on the motivation of returnees to transfer their knowledge, ideas, and practices in the scope of contributing to sociocultural change, and in part on the way their societies of origin received the resources they attempted to transmit and culturally diffuse. The third key finding is that Romania, as an emigration society, has been slow to accept change, but repatriated Romanians maintain a confident attitude regarding the potential that their skills and know-how confer them in exerting their influence over certain cultural aspects in the spheres of work and social relationships. | eng |