Migration Studies and the Decolonial Challenge

How can migration studies respond to the decolonial challenge? International and interdisciplinary, this timely book directly confronts issues of ongoing colonialism and a re-evaluation of migration studies’ epistemic, institutional and intellectual foundations. The book proposes postcolonial frameworks for conceptualizing and researching migration while considering the scope and potential for decolonization of the field.

Contributors highlight the deep and enduring links between migration studies and colonialism, confronting the spectres of enslavement, Indigenous dispossession and worldwide indenture. They address the field’s relationship with borders and governance, outlining critical issues such as power dynamics, the concept of othering and territoriality, alongside a nuanced examination of the notions of the migrant and the refugee. The book ultimately emphasises the transformative influence of emerging critical and radical traditions within contemporary migration studies.

This is a valuable resource for scholars and students of migration studies across the social sciences and addresses the state of the field in a time of intellectual decolonization.