Glossary
Asylum Seekers
Individuals who have migrated to another country and are seeking legal recognition and protection as refugees.
Example:
Upon arriving at the border, the family declared themselves asylum seekers, hoping to be granted protection from persecution in their home country.
Chain Migration
A process where migrants from a particular town or region follow others from that area to a new location, often facilitated by family or community networks.
Example:
After one family member successfully immigrated and found work, they sponsored relatives to join them, leading to a pattern of chain migration from their village.
Cultural Diffusion
The spread of ideas, customs, knowledge, and technologies from one culture to another, often facilitated by migration.
Example:
When immigrants introduce their traditional cuisine, music, or religious practices to a new country, it contributes to cultural diffusion.
Demographic Transition Model
A model that describes population change over time, linking birth and death rates to stages of economic development, which can also influence migration patterns.
Example:
Countries in Stage 2 of the Demographic Transition Model, with high birth rates and falling death rates, often experience significant emigration due to population pressure and limited opportunities.
Economic Reasons (for migration)
Motivations for migration primarily driven by the desire for better job opportunities, higher wages, or improved living standards.
Example:
Many individuals from developing countries migrate to wealthier nations for economic reasons, seeking to send remittances back to their families.
Forced Migration
When people are compelled to move from their homes due to factors beyond their control, often involving threats to life or safety.
Example:
The mass exodus of people from a country experiencing a severe civil war is a clear case of forced migration.
Globalization
The increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of countries and cultures worldwide, leading to greater movement of people, goods, and ideas.
Example:
The ease of international travel and communication, driven by globalization, has made it simpler for individuals to migrate for work or education across continents.
Guest Workers
Immigrants who are granted temporary work visas to fill labor shortages in a host country, often for specific industries or periods.
Example:
Germany's post-WWII recruitment of Turkish laborers to rebuild its economy led to a large population of guest workers who eventually settled permanently.
Internal Migration
The movement of people within the borders of a single country.
Example:
The historical Great Migration of African Americans from the Southern United States to the industrial North is a significant example of internal migration.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
People who have been forced to flee their homes but remain within the borders of their own country.
Example:
A natural disaster, like a massive earthquake, can create thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who need temporary shelter within their own nation.
Pull Factors
Positive conditions or attractions at a destination that draw people to migrate there.
Example:
Abundant job opportunities, access to quality education, and a stable political environment are strong pull factors for migrants.
Push Factors
Negative conditions or circumstances at a place of origin that compel people to leave.
Example:
High unemployment rates, political instability, and natural disasters are common push factors that encourage people to seek new homes.
Ravenstein's Laws of Migration
A set of generalizations about migration patterns, including observations that most migrants move short distances and that long-distance migrants tend to move to major cities.
Example:
The observation that a majority of people moving within a country only relocate a short distance from their original homes aligns with one of Ravenstein's Laws of Migration.
Refugees
Individuals who have crossed an international border due to a well-founded fear of persecution and cannot safely return to their home country.
Example:
After the conflict escalated, many families became refugees, seeking safety and asylum in neighboring nations.
Rural-to-Urban Migration
The movement of people from countryside areas to cities, primarily driven by the search for better economic opportunities and services.
Example:
The rapid industrialization of China in recent decades has fueled massive rural-to-urban migration, as millions move to coastal cities for factory jobs.
Step Migration
A migration pattern in which a long-distance move is completed in a series of stages, often from a rural area to a small town, then a larger town, and finally a city.
Example:
A young person moving from a remote farm to a nearby village, then to a regional town for college, and finally to a major city for a career, illustrates step migration.
Transhumance
A type of seasonal migration involving the movement of livestock and their herders between different pastures, often between mountains and lowlands.
Example:
In parts of the Alps, shepherds practice transhumance, moving their sheep to higher pastures in the summer and lower valleys in the winter.
Transnational Migration
The process by which immigrants forge and sustain multi-stranded social relations that link together their societies of origin and settlement.
Example:
A person who regularly travels between their home country and their adopted country for work and family visits is engaging in transnational migration.
Voluntary Migration
When people choose to move, typically for better opportunities, improved quality of life, or personal reasons.
Example:
A recent college graduate moving to a new city for a dream job is an example of voluntary migration driven by economic opportunity.