Migration is a field of study and research that deals with global flows of people within and across national borders. It involves a series of intersecting social, cultural and political phenomena, and a corresponding set of various economic, security and ethical concerns that arguably represent some of the most pressing issues of global humanity’s present and future. Migration has been an intrinsic aspect of the human experience, but in the context of a political system organized around nation-states and national borders it has increasingly been classified as disruptive. Contemporary worldwide migration, whether it is classified as voluntary or involuntary, economic or forced, is growing exponentially. To a significant extent, migration accompanies economic “development,” which not infrequently also means economic exploitation, disruption and the corresponding move from countryside to urban areas. In addition, within an increasingly globalized economy driven by neo-liberal imperatives, global economic imbalances and inequalities propel movements across national and continental borders, with some 200 million people now living outside of their home countries for extended periods. It is not surprising therefore that migration significantly affects source, transit, and receiving countries throughout the world, and is at the forefront of policy concerns.
European Migration Studies focus on mobility and movement towards, out of, and within Europe, accounting, at the same time, for the wider global context – social, economic and political – within which such movement occurs. In addition to some traditional foci of interest (‘push/pull’ factors, differential labor markets, migrant networks), migration studies have also addressed topics of sovereignty, diaspora, human rights, post-colonialism, transnationalism, globalization, and race, among others. This research has intersected closely with EU policy concerns as well (i.e. mobility, integration and migration management, diversity and justice, etc.).