Roundtable on "Understanding Global Migration"

Session Submission Type: Virtual Roundtable

Session Description

This roundtable is built around the publication of a collective volume edited by James Hollifield and Neil Foley entitled "Understanding Global Migration" (Stanford University press). The volume looks at the rapidly evolving trends in international migration in the 21st century, the root causes, the drivers and dynamics of migration, its consequences for human and economic development, and the challenges and opportunities that the movement of people presents for states and regions. A principal takeaway from this book is the centrality of migration in contemporary politics both at the domestic, regional and international level. The book is based on a series of propositions. The first proposition of the project is that the state matters and that there is not a single ‘migration state,’ following the classic western, liberal, and settler model, but rather a variety of migration states and a range of ways in which states grapple with migration in different historical and geographical contexts. The second proposition is that we must put contemporary migrations into a historical and comparative perspective. The third proposition is that since 1945 human rights have become a central feature of migration governance. The fourth proposition is that migration has contributed to greater interdependence among states and regions. The fifth proposition is that in the twenty-first century, migration is more vital for sustained economic and human development than at any time in history. The book engages with empirical and theoretical challenges that are crucial for contemporary debates in international relations, comparative politics and political economy.
The roundtable will offer a discussion among contributing authors and the audience along the five main propositions of the book.

Sub Unit

• Division 52: Migration & Citizenship

Chair

• Neil Foley Southern Methodist Univ.

Discussants

• Daniel Tichenor University of Oregon

• Fiona B. Adamson University of London, SOAS

• Erin Aeran Chung Johns Hopkins University

• Helene C Thiollet Sciences Po

• Gerasimos Tsourapas University of Glasgow

• Triadafilos Triadafilopoulos University of Toronto

• Kamal Sadiq University of California, Irvine

Presenter

• James F. Hollifield Southern Methodist University