Definition of Migration
(noun) The movement of people from one geographic area (e.g., country, food source) to another, typically referring to moving across political boundaries.
Examples of Migration
- Moving from Eastern Europe to the United States.
- Moving from one oasis to another.
- Moving from one suburb to another.
Migration Pronunciation
Syllabification: mi·gra·tion
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /mie-grAY-shuhn/
- British English – /mie-grAY-shuhn/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˌmaɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/
- British English – /mʌɪˈɡreɪʃn/
Usage Notes
- Plural: migrations
- Migration typically is viewed as transitory, moving from place to place, immigration and emigration are forms of migration that are generally permanent.
- Migration can be “voluntary” or “forced.”
- Types:
- The (adjective) migratory or (adjective) migrational patterns of (noun) migrants (verb) migrating are studied by demographers.
Additional Information
- Word origin of “migration” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Benson, Michaela, and Karen O’Reilly. 2009. “Migration and the Search for a Better Way of Life: A Critical Exploration of Lifestyle Migration.” Sociological Review 57(4):608–25. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954x.2009.01864.x.
- Castles, Stephen. 2007. “Twenty-first Century Migration as a Challenge to Sociology.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 33(3):351–71. doi:10.1080/13691830701234491.
- Castles, Stephen, Hein de Haas, and Mark J. Miller. 2014. The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. 5th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Urry, John, and M. Sheller, eds. 2004. Tourism Mobilities: Places to Play, Places in Play. London: Routledge.
- Winder, R. 2013. Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain. Rev. ed. London: Abacus.
Related Terms
- birth rate
- demography
- mortality rate
- population
- population composition
- society
- State
- urbanization
- world-systems theory
- zero population growth
Works Consulted
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Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Migration
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “migration.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 3, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/migration/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
migration. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/migration/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “migration.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/migration/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“migration.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 3 Oct. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/migration/>.