Migration histories Archaeological studies frequently focus on early human migration flows, the spread of civilisation and the development of trade routes and settlements by early humans. The debate over
migrationism and diffusionism features prominently in archaeological approaches to migration studies. The study of
empire,
colonisation, and
diaspora constitute significant themes in historical approaches to migration studies. This has, for instance, manifested in studies of the forced migrations during the 1947
Partition of India,< the internal displacement of the 1861-1865
American Civil War, or the
Great Migration of 6 million African Americans from the rural southern states to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West. Scholars can research migration histories through a variety of methods including quantitative approaches based on censuses and government documents, social histories, the examination of material culture, or through autobiography.
Literature and the arts One branch of research in migration studies involves the consideration of how migration, settlement, and diaspora interact with literature and the arts. For example, in a 2017 paper Dr Michelle Keown discussed how US military imperialism and Marshallese migration affected the poetry of
Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner. Researchers have also examined migration in relation to the circulation of music, particularly of folk-songs. Migration is a recurring theme in much
popular media, such as in
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2013 novel
Americanah or in contemporary film such as
Roma (2018), consequently, discussions on migration and the arts are some of the more publicly visible avenues of scholarship in migration studies. More recently, attention has been paid to how theatre becomes a site for migrant performing their agency within public spaces. In 2020 article, Kasia Lech studied responses to
Brexit by multilingual UK-based migrant theatre practitioners, Situating their work in "the paradox of simultaneous hyper- and in-visibility of immigrants in the UK" and argued that "the migrant perspective is crucial for the debate on
Brexit as part of the broader
European Union’s crisis of commonality and solidarity.".
Urbanism Scholars of migration in the context of
urbanism consider the dynamics of how cities and migrant populations interact. This can include issues of
town planning, issues of
ghettoisation and
social exclusion, and processes of
integration and
community-building. Urbanists may also consider how one can regard
refugee camps as global cities, and how to plan, develop, and operate these camp spaces.
Economics The
economic results of migration, (e.g.
human capital flight) are a popular area of research and stimulate much consequent debate. Perhaps the most publicly discussed topic within the economics of migration is transnational
labour migration and how migrants are either encouraged or discouraged to move as a result of economic considerations, this remains a controversial and multifaceted topic. Migration is researched in relation to its impacts on both sending and destination communities. The study of how migrant workers send
remittances is another frequent topic for scholars studying the economics of migration. Some research has focused on novel topics including the internal economies of refugee camps, the economics of
human trafficking, and how
employment law affects undocumented workers.
Demography Studies of migration
demography take a statistical approach to the size, structure, and distribution of migrant populations. One can research migrant communities either in isolation or as part of a broader population. Demographic studies of migration often consider issues such as migrant health, welfare, employment, and
education in relation to the non-migrant population of a given society.
Public attitudes Migration scholars investigate migrant reception through surveying and studying how host populations understand and respond to immigration. This might include feelings concerning refugee reception and support, considerations of multiculturalism and integration, and attitudes towards government policies. Frequently, scholars investigate how non-migrant publics consider migrants, this has resulted in a relative lack of scholarship which considers the opposite dynamic.
Critical border studies Critical border studies explores alternatives to how territorial borders are currently imagined and operated. Part of this approach means identifying and investigating how borders function, to whose benefit these borders function, and whom such borders affect negatively. Scholars associated with critical border studies regard borders as part of a system of performances by which states maintain and exert
power over territory; this intersects with understandings of
sovereignty and
securitization. Scholars associated with this branch of migration studies are frequently critical of how states may rely on a monopoly of force to assert governance over given territories, consequently strains of
anarchist philosophy,
postcolonial thought, and
anti-statism are popular within critical border studies.
Immigration law Immigration law necessarily affects many subsections of migration studies and it is consequently a point of interest for a wide range of migration scholars. One can approach the subject of immigration law through sub-national, national, and international frameworks. The study of immigration law frequently intersects with discussions of
human rights.
Migrant il/legality and "crimmigration" In common with approaches found in critical border studies, many scholars consider how systems which govern migration construct illegality and thereby
criminalize migrant populations. This approach displaces the discussion of illegality from the migrant subject and instead scrutinises the behaviour of
nation-state governments. Critical approaches to the construction of citizenship recur within this strand of scholarship. This approach to understanding migration is particularly relevant for scholars working on issues involving undocumented populations. The term
"crimmigration" has emerged as a way to conceptualize how migrants are frequently treated as criminals, deviants, and security risks.
Displacement Forced migration Forced migration is the coerced movement of humans from their origin to a (frequently undesired) new destination. Studies concerning forced migration explore the processes by which people are displaced, how destination countries receive and support displaced people, and the experiences of forced migrations. Studies concerning forced migration frequently overlap with issues concerning
genocide studies,
settler colonialism,
humanitarianism,
deportation and
ethnic cleansing. The term "forced" is frequently debated for its suggestion that there is a clear distinction between voluntary and involuntary human movement.
Refugee studies Scholars focusing on
refugee studies typically consider the experiences of people affected by transnational forced-migration processes. The definition of a refugee varies considerably within the refugee-studies community, with some insisting on the strict definitions of 1951
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and others relying on more fluid or amorphous definitions. Refugee studies represent a distinct overarching group within migration studies as it differs significantly from the topics which are central to more voluntary phenomena such as labour-market migration. The concept of
refugees as weapons is analyzed as a forced experience of a mass exodus of refugees from a state to a hostile state as a "weapon."
Internal displacement Internally displaced persons have been compelled to move from their origin but have not crossed national boundaries. This means that they do not meet the
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees definition of a refugee, even though they may have similar experiences, and though the conditions which led to their displacement may closely resemble those which provoke refugee movements. Studies on internal displacement frequently focus on the complications raised by the fact that such migrants are not supported by the same international frameworks which can provide for refugees and other transnational migrants.
Climate change and environmental factors Scholars increasingly study how
climate change is interacting with human migration, something which is discussed to a much greater extent in relation to migrating animals. Key issues in studies of climate change and migration revolve around how climate change will affect coastal communities, small-island nations, and communities living in areas likely to
become deserts. Essentially, this topic considers how climate change may cause large-scale human movement. The idea of "climate refugees" is a key focus of debate within this topic, particularly as this brings a novel category to established understandings of
refugee status. Beyond climate change, there is a long history of human migration because of other environmental factors. Studies concerned with
early human migrations frequently consider how humanity responded to issues such as adapting to the harsh cold of the
Late Pleistocene.
Gender and sexuality Gender Scholars focusing on
gender consider how gender structures migrant experience, the treatment and reception of migrants, and how migration interacts with the
performance of gender. Contemporary treatments of migration and gender tend to take an intersectional approach where gender is part of a dynamic set of identities including class, race, age, and health. Studies which consider gendered experiences of migration look at topics such as gender-based violence against migrant populations, gendered differences in asylum and detention processes, and how family dynamics are affected by migration processes.
Queer migration Scholars influenced by approaches from the growing field of
Queer studies explore how
queer sexualities affect understandings of migration. One approach involves critically engaging with "the
intersectionality of nationality and sexuality, [to show] how national norms and values can be used instrumentally by social and political actors" to affect human movement. For example, topics in Queer migration might include how
LGBT+ asylum seekers are differently affected by asylum processes, how discrimination against LGBT+ people affects their migration experiences, or how migrant
welfare is stratified according to sexuality.
Humanitarianism A recent trend in migration studies scholarship has been to critically evaluate how humanitarian actors interact with immigrants, particularly in the context of conflict environments, disaster relief, and crises. The
refugee camp has become a significant point of interest for scholars working on the intersection of migration and humanitarianism, especially in relation to
biopower. Recently, there have been increased efforts to critically engage with how humanitarian actors deliver aid and the ethics of humanitarianism in the context of migration. This criticism of humanitarian actors has led to discussions of the links between
carceral systems and humanitarianism.
Epidemiology In
epidemiology, an "immigration study" is a method of understanding the relative importance of inherited genetics and environmental factor in medical conditions whose incidence varies around the world. It examines the incidence of conditions in populations who have moved (or whose recent ancestors have moved) between places at different rates. Often the immigrant population can be shown to have similar rates to the population of the new location, suggesting that environmental factors such as diet, obesity and exercise are the dominant determinants. ==The ethics of researching migration==