Theories of International Migration

 

Migration is a major source of social, cultural and economic change in many parts of the world. Human migration creates opportunities as well as hardship, and is shaping the demography and politics of many countries. The course aims to acquaint students with the main theoretical perspectives on International Migration. We start with a brief historical review of modern waves of mass migration from the latter part of the 19^th century leading up to the 21^st century. We then review examine theoretical perspectives on four central issues concerning human migration: Why and under what circumstances people migrate; the political context and institutes associated with international migration; the experience of migration and integration into host societies; and, finally, the highly visible topics of transnationalism, forced migration, and refugee issues.