Animating Migration Theory

Migration always escapes simple modes of representation and reductive theorisations and is underpinned by fluidity and radical difference. It regularly takes shape around new scenarios, follows unpredictable routes and often involves migrant lives that exceed the expectations, representations and restrictions of mainstream migration studies and policy orthodoxies. The dramatic events of the last decade show the need for this book and for a new account of migration theory.

This book presents a new lens to explore migration phenomena by providing a grounding in social theory. It brings to life ideas through case studies and practical examples and offers a more integrated and nuanced understanding of global movements. The changing flows of people, ideas and objects demand the development of broader ways of knowing that can be refined to embrace the complexity of migration, the diversification of migrant lives and the fluidity of interdisciplinary ideas and approaches within the field itself.

The book is arranged around a series of themes including subjectivity, state and territory, migration processes, space and place, time and materiality. It offers a multi-dimensional and adaptable approach that is reflective of social change and can be deployed to understand a diversity of migration contexts and challenges.