If you look around your class, you may well find your peers to be of diverse backgrounds. They might speak different languages when at home, and dress visibly differently even at school. For example, female students with headscarves, or boys with turbans.
This diversity is a marker of two separate phenomena, migration and identity. We will study how they are linked below.
How are migration and identity related to each other?
Migration is defined as the movement of a person or group of people from one area to another. It is generally categorised by the locations between which the migration takes place, as well as the cause or motive behind the migration.
Identity can be defined as the degree to which a particular person associates themselves with a particular group or characteristic. This can relate to national, religious, ethnic identity, etc. The identity of an individual will often alter the individual perception of a particular area, which is a contributing factor to migration. Older generations who have lived in a particular area for a long time often find themselves attached to it and identify with it. Younger generations however often lack this attachment and are therefore far more likely to migrate.
Migration by spatial scale
We classify migration by spatial scale broadly into two categories.
National, or regional migration
This is the movement of a person or people from one area to another, within the same country or geographical region. The most common type of movement in this category is rural-to-urban migration.
International, or global migration
This is the movement of a person or people from one nation or political state to another. The most common migration in this category is the economic movement of people from less affluent nations to more affluent ones.
Causes of migration
The causes of migration are categorised by the type of motives or lack thereof. Migrations that are voluntary can be explained by push and pull factors.
Migration by motive
We classify these broadly into two categories.
Forced migration
This is the movement of a person or people from one area to another against the person's will. This could be as a result of a threat to their freedom, e.g. due to persecution based on religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, etc; or environmental threats such as drought, flood, threats to food and water sources, etc. When a person has successfully migrated to another nation as a result of the aforementioned causes they are a refugee. If they are still seeking to migrate they are referred to as asylum seekers.
Economic or incentivised migration
This is the voluntary migration of a person or people for reasons of work and/or improved quality of life. The pattern of migration, in this case, is generally from less economically affluent countries to more economically affluent countries and is often regional, e.g. from Mexico and other Latin American countries to the USA, or the movement of eastern European nationals to western European countries such as UK or Germany. On a national scale, this type of migration often takes the form of rural-to-urban migration.
Push/pull factors
Push factors motivate an individual or group of people to migrate from a particular location. Pull factors are those which motivate an individual or group to migrate to a particular location. They may be viewed as negative and positive factors respectively.
Some examples of 'push' factors:
High unemployment, which causes economic struggles.
Low environmental quality caused by pollution, and other hazardous environments.
Lack of access to clean drinking water or sanitation.
War, persecution, and civil unrest.
Poor access to public services.
Some examples of 'pull' factors:
Job opportunities with higher wages and safer working conditions.
Higher environmental quality, e.g. clean air, water, sanitation, etc.
Inclusive societies where there is less persecution for beliefs or political affiliations.
High-quality public services, e.g. high standards of education, healthcare and security.
Push/pull factors case study (Poland)
Poland endured a long period of poor economic and social conditions resulting from the Second World War, and then Soviet control through puppet governments in the Cold War era. Together with seven other eastern European countries, it finally joined the European Union in 2004, allowing Polish citizens the freedom of movement to more economically affluent western European nations. This directly led to more than 800,000 Poles immigrating to western European nations (mostly UK and Germany). While the majority of immigration from Poland occurred in the years immediately following 2004, there is still a Polish diaspora of about 20 million abroad, out of a total of about 38 million citizens.
Push Factors (Poland) | Pull Factors (UK) |
Youth unemployment:40 percent (2004) GDP per capita: $12,700 (2004) Lack of job opportunities in Poland | UK unemployment: 5.1 percent (2004) GDP per capita: $30,900 (2004) Labour shortage in trade-based, skilled and semi-skilled areas in the UK: 607,900 (2004) |
Push-pull factor analysis (2004) between Poland and the UK.
More recently, there are further push factors in Poland that relate to social rather than economic reasons. From allegations of election rigging to the systematic discrimination against the LGBTQI community [Fig 2], the ruling political party, PiS, has caused many young Poles to migrate and seek residency in more tolerant and accepting nations.
Fig. 1 - Map of Poland. Red indicates 'LGBT free zones'
Consequences of migration
Consequences of migration are usually separated between the consequences for the country migrants are leaving behind, and the country that receives them.
Consequences for countries receiving migrants | Consequences for countries of origin of migrants |
Multiculturalism: nations with a high migrant population can benefit from otherwise inaccessible foods or services. As an example, New Malden in the UK has a high Korean population, giving it many unique Korean restaurants, cultural centres and supermarkets. | Underpopulation and labour shortage. The decrease in population in a country where a large percentage of the population migrates can lead to labour shortages in many important areas e.g. healthcare or security. The private sector may also suffer which could lead to an overall decline in the economy of the nation. The following cycle may begin:Decreased workers -> labour shortage -> lower quality of services -> less wages earnt and therefore less economic circulation -> less taxation -> further decrease in public service quality -> increased outwards migration -> decreased workers… |
Increase in the labour force, where there may have been a shortage of labour, especially in public services, earlier. An influx of migrants can significantly increase the quality of service in the sector whose labour shortage is directly addressed. | There may be a relaxed pressure on services if the rate of outwards migration is sufficiently low. The decreased number of people requiring access to public services could mean less stress on the services in question. As a result, the quality of the service for the remaining population may increase. |
Potential tensions may form in areas with a large migrant population which could cause conflict. This may have larger political consequences. A leading factor in Brexit being voted through was disquiet with the rate of immigration. | Potential economic benefit due to remittance payments from citizens abroad. India has thus far received an estimated $86 billion in remittance payments since 2008. It is estimated that remittance payments make up an estimated 24 percent of the economy in El Salvador (source: worldbank.org). |
Nation-states and sovereignty
Nation-states are defined as independent nations that are sovereign, often with an organised government with the right to make laws and regulations without the interference of other collective bodies or organisations. Sovereignty is defined as the legal right to govern a physical territory.
We may say that nation-states are formed by unity at some scale. However, every state will still have variations in ethnic, cultural, and linguistic unity as a result of their population changes, the role of migration, and the populations’ identity. These factors together with historical context and physical geography will often determine a nation’s borders. Remember, national borders can be, and often are disputed. We don’t always have a consensus as to the position of the country's borders, and the reasons behind the proposed borders.
The concepts of sovereignty and ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identities are influential in the degree to which nationalism (an extreme form of patriotism) arises. Nationalism was vital to the development of empires such as the Roman Empire. This created conflict when other nations became parts of larger empires, often in the context of colonialism, as with the British Raj in India.
Migration and Identity - Key takeaways
Migration can be categorised by two different standards, intentionality and spatial scale.
Migration could come about as a result of economic incentives, or the force of the societal and/or political powers in the nation being left behind.
We can identify the reasons behind migration through a push/pull factor analysis.
Migration has varying consequences for both nations affected by migration, i.e., the nation being migrated from, and the one being migrated to.
References
- Fig. 1: LGBT free zones in Poland (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LGBT_Free_Zones_Poland_2020.png) by Fashaj (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Fashaj) licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
Explanations 
Exams 
Magazine 
