Structural Change and the Sociology of Migration

Abstract

Migration is an interdisciplinary field of study. Important contributions have been made by archaeologists and anthropologists who traced the great migrations of homo sapiens before the dawn of civilization. Historians took up the story depicting the influence of trade, war and empire-building in the distribution of population and contact between cultures. Social geographers and demographers used quantitative techniques to measure spatial relations of migrants and ethnic groups in selected regions and metropolitan areas. Economists examined the influence of income levels and employment opportunities on internal and external migration, the effects of immigration on consumer demand and inflation, as well as the consequences of remittance payments to former countries. Social psychologists considered motivation questions, such as why some people move and others do not. Lawyers and political scientists have been concerned with policy issues and the administrative regulation of international migration.