Geographical migration studies

A research theme at the Department of Geography focused on why and how people move between places, regions, and countries. Our research addresses migration processes, the social structures that enable and limit migration, and its consequences for different places.

Migration is fundamentally a geographical phenomenon that unites human action with the surrounding society.

Our research often deals with how global and local structures and processes both create and are created through migration, as well as how households and individuals reason about migration decisions.

Focus

The research touches on areas such as

International labor migration
Labour mobility and regional development
Regional movements and the moving strategies of families with children
The life situation of vulnerable migrants
Lifestyle-related mobility between urban and rural areas

These research areas are examples of how we can study migration from a broad societal perspective, which in various ways contributes to geographical understanding in the work towards sustainable societies.

Many migration processes directly affect societal planning at different levels in society, from the global to the local. At our department, we are often interested in how migration is interconnected with regional development in various ways.

For instance, migration affects the population structure of municipalities and places, which may struggle with a decreasing population base, affecting conditions for local services and housing and labour market supply. Furthermore, migration creates transnational and (trans)local contexts within and between countries that affect how places become increasingly intertwined.

Migration also affects power structures within places and regions based on gender and nationality, which can create social inequality and may be utilized by populist and racist movements.