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
Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bruce, Steve, and Steven Yearley. 2006. The SAGE Dictionary of Sociology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
Giddens, Anthony, and Philip W. Sutton. 2014. Essential Concepts in Sociology. Cambridge: Polity.
Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.
Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.
Stewart, Paul, and Johan Zaaiman. 2015. Sociology: A Concise South African Introduction. Cape Town: Juta.
Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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 March 28, 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 March 28, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/migration/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“migration.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/migration/>.