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Outline
Notes
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Migration: the permanent
relocation of residential place.
Points to Remember about
Migration
 Migration
is one of the enduring themes of human history.
Examples of migrations through time
include
- the movement of the
first human
groups from their point of
origin (East Africa?) to their present distribution
around the entire globe;
- the movement of
peoples
within early civilizations
for trade, seeking raw materials, making war;
- the momentous movement
of "barbarians" like the
Huns, Goths, Visigoths, and Vandals out of Central Asia
and into the Roman Empire bringing about its fall;
- the movement of the
Islamic
Moors across North Africa
from Arabia and northward into Europe via Spain, into
Central Asia via Turkey and into the Balkans;
- the Vikings
migrating from modern day Denmark and Norway to Iceland,
and from Norway and Sweden into Russia
Recent migrations include
- the movement on an unprecedented
scale of Europeans
to North and South America;
- British
to Africa, Australia, and New Zealand;
- Africans
to North and South America;
- Indians
(from what is today India/Pakistan/Bangladesh) to East
Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Fiji--all parts of
the British Empire;
- Chinese
throughout Southeast Asia;
- Jews from Europe to North America and Israel;
- Americans
and Canadians
westward across the North American continent;
- Russians
eastward across the Asian continent;
- Mexicans
northward to the US;
- Vietnamese,
Central Americans, Cubans,
Haitians to the
US.
 Be
sure you can trace the movements described above on
maps.
Migration
has had a significant effect on world geography.
- It has contributed to the
evolution and development of separate
cultures.
- It has contributed to the
diffusion of cultures by interchange and
communication.
- It has contributed to the complex
mix of people and cultures found in different regions of
the world today.
Migration
occurs at different scales.
Intercontinental
Movements: from continent to
continent
Which
of the migrations listed above are
intercontinental?
Intracontinental
and Interregional Migrations:
between countries and within countries
Motivated by
- better economic
conditions
- changes in life cycles e.g.,
moving at retirement to a warmer climate, getting
married, having children)
- flight from disastrous
environmental or political conditions, e.g., refugees,
Hong Kong Chinese moving to avoid China's take
over
Which
of the migrations listed above are intracontinental or
interregional?
Rural to Urban
Migration: from the
countryside (rural areas) to cities (urban
areas).
Began on a large scale with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century in the advanced economies of Europe and the United States when job opportunities opened up in factories in urban areas. This process is now taking place in the developing economies of the world in South America, Africa, and Asia where industrialization has been occurring. The case in China of rural to urban migration is especially distinct.
Local Residential
Shifts: suburbanization,
neighborhood relocations.
This kind of movement is
significant in Western nations with free housing markets.
One sixth of the US population changes residence each
year. Why? Among the reasons
for residential shifts are
changes in life
cycle, income
level (either more or less
money available to spend on housing), job
location, perceived
safety of neighborhood,
better school
district, convenient
location etc. These shifts
produce distinct patterns of urban
social geography.
Migrations
can be classified as forced, voluntary, or imposed on
migrants by circumstances.
The text gives a number of examples of forced and voluntary migrations. An imposed migration is one that is not entirely forced but which conditions make highly advisable.
Migrations
can be classified into 5 types. Each type can then be
classified as either conservative or innovative.
- An innovative
move is one in which the migrant undertakes a new way of
life.
- A conservative
move preserves an accustomed way of life in new
surroundings.
1. Primitive
Migration: in response to
environmental conditions; usually undertaken by people at
low levels of development. Conservative example? Innovative
example?
2. Forced
Migration: compulsory transfer of a group of people, usually by a government. Conservative example? Innovative example? See this website for contemporary examples of forced migration.
3. Impelled
Migration: similar to Forced
Migration but it differs in that migrants retain some
ability to decide whether to move or not. Conservative
example? Innovative example?
4. Free
Migration: individual
movements for economic betterment. Conservative example?
Innovative example?
5. Mass
Migration: large numbers,
entire communities, moving en masse without being fully
informed on an individual basis of what to expect.
Conservative example? Innovative example?
Classify
these migrations by TYPE and decide whether the move was
innovative or conservative.
- westward migration of pioneer
farmers
- modern Americans moving to
Alaska
- Mormon migration to
Utah
- Middle East nomads moving to urban
areas in the Persian Gulf
- African slave trade
- flight of ancient Britons at the
arrival of the Saxon invaders
- Trail of Tears: relocation of the
Five Civilized Tribes to Oklahoma
- subsistence slash burn farmers in
the Amazon (read
this newspaper article)
- resettling of Germans, post WWII,
because of border shifts in Poland
Answers?
The
decision to migrate is complex but can usually be
conceptualized as the result of two factors: push factors
and pull factors.
Push
Factors: negative home
conditions that impel the decision to migrate, e.g., loss of
job, lack of professional opportunities, overcrowding,
famine,war, pestilence
Pull
Factors: positive attributes
perceived to exist at the new location, e.g., jobs, better
climate, low taxes, more room, professional
opportunities
Both factors are affected by
place
utility, an individual's existing degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a place (see page 25 in your text). The decision to migrate is based on the person's evaluation: is
it better to stay or to go?
Two other related concepts are distance
decay and intervening
opportunity. Movers seek to
minimize the friction of distance. Migrants tend to chose
the closer location rather than the farther if both are
equal in other ways. Information about distant areas is less
complete and satisfying than awareness of near
locations.
The web site Push
and Pull Factors of International
Migration contains excellent
evidence to support these ideas. Take 10 minutes to explore
the information here.
Spatially
there are a number of patterns of migration.
Step
migration: a series of small,
less extreme locational changes are steps. For example, if a
person moves from a farm to a small town, then to a larger
town and finally a city, it is an example of step
migration.
Chain
migration is the idea that
there exists an established linkage or chain from the point
of origin for migrants to their destination. The process of
migration is assisted by migrants who already live in the
destination. They help their friends and relatives to make
the migration by providing them information, money, and
place to stay, perhaps a job, and emotional support. People
immigrate to locations where they find connections and a
measure of familiarity.
Chain migration establishes
migration
fields, or areas that dominate
a locale's in- and out-migration patterns. For example, in
Chicago, many Mexican migrants are from the state of Jalisco
in Mexico. Jalisco is part of Chicago's migration
field.
Observations
of migration can be summarized into Laws of Migration
(Ravenstein)
Here is a summary of the laws in
simple language.
- Most migrants only go a short
distance.
- Longer distance migration favors
big-city destinations. Large cities are migrant
magnets.
- Most migration proceeds step by
step.
- Most migration is rural to
urban.
- Each migration flow produces a
counterflow.
- Most migrants are adults; families
are less likely to make international moves.
- Most international migrants are
young males.
There
are a number of barriers to migration
Migration is limited
by a knowledge of opportunities in
other places, i.e., information.
Migration is limited
by costs, both financial and
emotional. It is difficult to leave one's home to try a
completely new way of life.
Migration is limited
by political restrictions,
e.g., immigration policies
Migration is limited
by personal characteristics,
e.g., culture, age, gender, education, and economic status.
Well-educated males, between the ages of 18-34 who are
affluent are MOST mobile; poorly educated females who are
old and poor are the LEAST mobile.
The
global refugee problem is increasing at a faster rate than
world population; it is a massive, global
crisis.
Africa, Europe, Southwest Asia and
Southeast Asia have the largest problems caused by conflicts
and environmental crises. Visit The
United Nations Refugee Center
for information about current efforts the world around to
improve conditions for these people, some of whom are
permanently displaced. The International Red
Cross and Red Crescent (Muslim
branch of the Red Cross) offers information and assistance
to refugees as well. The web site Migration
Web contains excellent
information and links to web sites related to current issues
in migration, particularly trafficing in migrants and
prostitution and migrant issues.
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