Global Migration

Ken Keller – DHS

Updated and edited by Dana Linton BHS

AP Human Geography 2013

There has been a huge increase in international migration – 232 million

(3.2% of world’s population live outside countries of birth (46 million in U.S.)

• Growing inequalities between North and South – moves to increase living standards.

• Increasing demographic pressure in high-growth regions of NA, Asia, and Africa.

• End of the Cold War – massive population shifts in Europe.

• Increasing ethnic and political strife for example, in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Middle East, Liberia, Iran, Iraq, Syria.

Trends over past 25 years

• Globalization of migration – more countries are affected by migration at the same time.

• Acceleration of migration – once migration starts, it is likely to snowball through chain migration.

• Differentiation of migration – more different types of migration (refugees, family migrants, labor force migrants).

• Feminization of migration – women are playing an increasing role in all regions and all types of migration.

History of international migration

• Pre-19th Century– Warfare, conflict, formation of nations and

emergence of states.– Slavery – By 1790, there were 2.5 million

African slaves in the Americas• In 1790, 19% of US population was black.• Triangular trade: ships with manufactured goods

(salt, hardware, weapons, rum) from England to W. Africa, Africans to N and S America and plantation goods (sugar, tobacco, molasses) back to England.

Middle Passage between Africa and Americas

19th Century Migrations

• Colonial migrations– British recruited 30 million from Indian subcontinent to

work on sugar plantations in the Caribbean. Also to E. Africa.

– Dutch used Chinese in Dutch E. India (Indonesia)

• Europeans to U.S. Canada, Australia• Irish to Britain to work in textile factories,

building trades, and on railroad.• Europeans to France because of low birth rates.

Immigration to N. America – who came and why? Push/Pull –

incorporation of historical Geo.

Post-WWI Movement• Little movement during inter-war period due to

economic stagnation and isolationism.• WWII to 1970

– European guest workers – from Mediterranean countries (Italy,Yugoslavia, Turkey, Spain, Algeria, Greece) to Britain, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Germany. Filled post-War labor shortage, but were reluctant to go home when shortage passed.

– Germany: “We asked for workers and we got people” Migrants brought family members. Now people are free to move within European Union.

Guest workers seeded large migration streams to Germany

Foreign Born as % of European populations

• 36% Luxembourg• 19% Switzerland• 9% Austria• 9% Germany• 9% Belgium• 6% France• 6% Sweden

• 5% Denmark• 4% Netherlands • 4% Norway• 4% United Kingdom• 3% Ireland\• 2% Spain• 2% Italy

Cornerstone of EU is freedom of movement. 10 countries have been invited to join in 2004-5, including Cyprus, Czech Rep.,Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia. Why not Turkey?

Other 20th Century movements

• WWII to 1970 continued– Colonial workers: from Ireland to England; from former

British colonies in the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent to Britain; Algerians, Moroccans, and Tunisians to France; Indonesians to Netherlands.

– Europeans to Canada and Australia (restrictive immigration laws keep U.S. immigration low until mid-1960s

– Bracero “strong arm” Program brought 4.6 million Mexican guest workers to U.S. between 1942 and 1964 to work in agriculture. Facilitated growth of fruit and vegetable production in SW and seeded later migration streams. Cesar Chavez – United Fruit Workers union.

Recent and current migration “hot spots”

1. Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union

2. Middle East (SW Asia)

3. Sub-Saharan Africa

4. Latin American and Caribbean

5. Asia

Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union

• Fall of Soviet Union creates economic collapse and freedom to seek foreign residence.

• East Germans move to west.• Hungary, Poland, Czech Rep., and Slovakia

emerge as immigration buffer zones between more unstable places to the East and Western Europe.

• Poles seek work in Dutch and German agriculture, and Russians and Ukrainians work in Poland.

• Bulgarian Turks return to Turkey.

Middle East• Initially, wealthy oil states imported labor from Egypt,

Tunisia, Jordan, and Palestine. Concern about militancy led to importation of workers from Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

• Huge return migration during 1990-91 crisis in Kuwait. • Foreign workers represent 60 to 90% of labor force in

most oil-exporting countries.• Jewish immigrants to Israel. To replace Palestinians,

Israel also allows entry of Romanians, Thais, and other foreign workers.

Africa – includes refugees and migrants.

• 1/4 of world’s 20 million refugees are in Africa. National borders, drawn by Europeans, do not reflect ethnic or tribal boundaries. 2 million Rwandans left for Zaire in 1994.

African migration

• Environmental migrants – from Mauritania and Mali because of drought.

• South Africa imports mine workers from Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique.

• Civil war in Liberia and Congo

• Economic migrants to former colonial rulers.

Latin America and Caribbean• Traditional area of immigration. Italians to Argentina

between 1947 and 1955. Brazil received African slaves until 1900 and Japanese workers until 1950.

• Shift to outmigration around 1970.– Huge economic disparities between NA and US– Rapid population growth in region. Mexican population

grows from 20 mil. in 1940, to 100 mil. today– Temporary worker programs created the networks that later

developed into permanent flows.

• Major origin countries for US immigration: Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.

Asia• U.S., Canada, and Australia relaxed immigration laws in 1960s

and 1970s. – US military presence in SE Asia. GI brides seeded networks as well as

refugees. Vietnam and Philippines.– Labor migrants from India and China

• Contract labor to Middle East • Refugees: 2 million Afghans in Pakistan.• Labor migration from Thailand, Indonesia, and Philippines to S.

Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.• To Japan

– Women from Philippines and Korea to work as dancers, waitresses, and hostesses

– Return of South American Japanese

Most refugees are returned to place of birth. A small

proportion are permanently resettled.