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Demography of Refugee and Forced Migration pp 21–37Cite as

Concepts of Refugee and Forced Migration: Considerations for Demographic Analysis

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Part of the book series: International Studies in Population ((ISIP,volume 13))

Abstract

Scholarly attention to refugee and forced migration, including demography, has mirrored the policy attention from individual governments and various international organizations struggling with the issues surrounding persons forced to migrate. This chapter attempts a narrative review of scholarly and policy developments relative to the concept and definition of refugee, forced migration and migrant. We give focus to the interaction among international convention, policy and social science and the implications for demographic research and analysis. The close relationship among practice, theory and data collection has a long history and continues. Changes in policy concern and in analytical apparatus have mutually influenced one another affecting both scholarly output and policy outcomes. The historical and legal origins of the concept and category of refugee and the implications for refugee studies are reviewed. The emergence of forced migration studies is described. Analysis of the implications of both policy analysis and theory for empirical research is presented followed by a discussion of operational definitions and measurement. Diversity in causes of migration is considered across these themes. The chapter concludes with reflections for demography and opportunities for analytic innovation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington, DC, 20057, USA

    Charles B. Keely

  2. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies Program, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, 13346, USA

    Ellen Percy Kraly

Authors
  1. Charles B. Keely
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  2. Ellen Percy Kraly
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Correspondence to Ellen Percy Kraly .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Population & Migration Research Centre Campus North Terrace, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Graeme Hugo

  2. Department of Demography, University of Tehran and National Institute of Population Research, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi

  3. Geography and Environmental Studies, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, USA

    Ellen Percy Kraly

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Keely, C.B., Kraly, E.P. (2018). Concepts of Refugee and Forced Migration: Considerations for Demographic Analysis. In: Hugo, G., Abbasi-Shavazi, M., Kraly, E. (eds) Demography of Refugee and Forced Migration. International Studies in Population, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67147-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67147-5_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-67147-5

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