Unit 2: Population and Migration Patterns and Processes

Sections 2.10 and 2.11

migration

the permanent/semipermanent relocation of people from one location to another

push factor

a negative circumstance/event/condition present where one lives that compels them to leave

pull factor

positive circumstances/events/conditions present in a country that draws someone towards that place

types of push/pull factors

• economic

• social

• political

• environmental

• demographic

economic push/pull factors

the most common reason people migrate; migrants go to areas offering greater chances for economic prosperity

ex.) 1950 → as farming became increasingly mechanized and farms were consolidated, less farmers were required to raise crops; farmers in rural China began moving to cities

social push/pull factors

people will migrate when they experience discrimination and persecution because of their ethnicity, race, gender, or religion. They move to locations where they can express their identities safely.

ex.) Partition of India, 1947

political push/pull factors

people who oppose the policies of a government often migrate because they face discrimination, arrest, or persecution

ex.) anti-Communist Cubans were jailed by the Castro government; as a result, many moved to the U.S., where they were protected

environmental push/pull factors

people migrate to escape harm from natural disasters and other unfavorable environmental conditions

ex.) farmers from CO, KS, OK, and TX moved to CA in the 1930s after the Dust Bowl caused droughts and failed crops

demographic push/pull factors

• migration transition model (Wilbur Zelinsky)

• derived from DTM

• argues that people living in Stage 2/3 countries lack economic opportunities due to pop. growth and overcrowding

• these people move to Stage 4/5 countries, where there are greater economic opportunities and aging populations

intervening obstacles

barriers that make reaching a desired destination difficult

EXAMPLES

• laws restricting migration

• border patrols

• geographical/physical features → mountains, rivers, walls

• economic factors → costs incurred on migration

intervening opportunities

opportunities en route that disrupt the original migration plan

ex.) a migrant gets a job on the way, causing them to settle in a different location that originally intended

step migration

a process in which migrants reach their eventual destination through a series of smaller moves

counter migration

each migration flow produces a movement in the opposite direction

ex.) as Mexicans moved to the U.S., many retired Americans moved to Mexico. Today, there are up to 1 million retired U.S. citizens living in Mexico.

return migration

when immigrants move back to their former homes

Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration

1. short distances

2. urban areas

3. multiple steps

4. rural to urban

5. counter migration

6. youth

7. gender patterns

forced migration

migration that is involuntary; often due to natural disasters, war, political persecution, ethnic or cultural problems in homeland

ex.) the Transatlantic Slave Trade (12.5 million people forcibly moved from Africa to North America, the Caribbean, South America)

IDP (internally displaced person)

a person who moves within their country to escape disaster

refugee

a migrant who crosses international borders in order to escape disaster

ex.) Syrian Civil War (2011) → created 6 million IDPs, 4 million refugees (most of whom moved to neighboring countries)

asylum

protection granted by the government of a receiving country to an immigrant who has a fear of harm/death if they return to their home country

voluntary migration

when people choose to relocate

internal migration

movement that occurs within a country

transnational migration

when people move from one country to another, or internationally rather than internally

chain migration

when people migrate to and settle in a new country, they often decide to locate in a city or community where others from their home country, family or friends, or those of their culture, have previously settled

guest worker

transnational migrants who relocate to a new country to provide labor that isn’t available locally

ex.) Persian Gulf countries and guest worker programs for the petroleum and service/tourism industries

transhumance

the process of herders moving with their animals to different pastures during different seasons

in mountainous regions, herders move to higher elevations during the summer and lower during the winter

guest-worker policies

policies that regulate the number of workers who can temporarily enter a country to work in specific industries for a defined amount of time

ex.) Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE) set guest-worker policies

The Homestead Act (1862)

a policy implement by the U.S. government that gave land to settlers who were willing to stay and farm it for five years; white settlers benefitted, and eventually became property owners

xenophobia

a strong dislike of people from another culture

ex.) Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) banned immigration to the U.S. from China, for fear that Chinese immigrants were taking jobs away from U.S. citizens

brain drain

when migration out of a country is made up of many highly skilled people

family reunification

these policies allow migrants to sponsor family members who migrate to the country

remittances

money sent by migrants to family/friends in their home countries

account for nearly 40% income of small countries, e.g. Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan

ethnic enclaves

neighborhoods filled primarily with people of the same ethnic group (e.g. “Little Italy” or “Chinatown”); adds to the cultural richness of the countries in which they develop