Arab Literary Travels

Definition: Migration

National Geographic defines migration as the “movement of people from one place in the world to another for the purpose of taking up permanent or semi-permentant residence usually across a political boundary”(“What is Human Migration?” National Geographic). While this may offer a suitable conventional definition of migration it becomes problematic when we begin to dissect it. Encompassed within this definition exists varying terms for different types of migration- for instance internal, external, emigration, immigration, step migration, chain migration etc. As well as these differing types, there are also different reasons as to why people migrate for example, a better life, political reasons, natural disaster recovery, work, seasonal etc. Sara Ahmed argues that there exists two types of migration – literal and metaphorical. Literal meaning “physical movement of bodies within and across spaces” (Ahmed 332) indicating a discussion of the actual movement of people. Metaphorical migration on the other hand, does not take it literally and means a “process of dislocation; the act of metaphorizing migration in some sense repeats the very process of migration”(333) which Ahmed goes onto explain causes migration to become more than the literal movement of people introducing “questions of context” (333).
Migration is moving with the intention to settle in a destination that much is clear, however it generalises the experience of migrants who undergo this process. Ahmed references to Avtar Brah as migration as “a question not of who travels but when, how, and under what circumstances?” (332). There is the issue of privilege in the matter; desirability to move or work in a different location is a freedom of choice. Yet push factors such as (and not limited to) war, restriction of free speech and religion, things that cannot be helped forces groups of people to undergo migration. The Oxford English Dictionary offers “the seasonal or temporary removal of a person, people, social group from one place to another” (OED 2016) as a potential definition. It is interesting the definition is using the word “removal” when referencing to human movement, having connotations of ethnic cleansing. Again the definition exposes itself to something that is not always a personal choice, creating an assortment of migrants; immigrants, refugees and Internally Displaced Person to name a few.
Within migration one can also look at the varying areas and locations, migration from rural to urban in the same country, migration between countries in the same continent and migration between different continents altogether. Some migrations are more drastic in mileage than others, for example rural to urban within the same country offers perhaps the opportunity to visit back where movement between continents may prove more difficult, isolating former members of the community from accessing their homeland.
Finally as migration is such a broad term and encompasses a diversity of experiences, one could argue that the definition is concerning a mass movement as opposed to an individual unless the term is applied to a specific experience. When migration occurs, many choose to settle in established communities of people that share the same journey, history, ethnicity or religion. Many immigrant communities have been established from historical social exclusion or discrimination and provide a support community for migrants. Although this is not true for all cases migration patterns have developed with certain groups of migrations choosing specific places.
With that being said, migration can be defined as an umbrella term (unless applied to a specific case) of the movement of people from one location to another with an intent to stay – these intents can range from personal to necessary for survival. Migration, as previously stated consists of different privileges, conditions, push and pull factors and types of migrants depending on the grounds on which a group of people engage in the movement.
 
 
 
Works Cited:
Ahmed, Sara. "Home and away narratives of migration and estrangement."International journal of cultural studies 2.3 (1999): 329-347.
 
"migration, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2015. Web. 10 February 2016.
 
"What Is Human Migration?" National Geographic, 2005. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
 
 
 
 

This page has paths:

This page has tags: