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Re-launching migration systems

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  • Oliver Bakewell

    (International Migration Institute, University of Oxford)

Abstract

The concept of the migration system, first popularised in the 1970s, has remained a staple component of any review of migration theory. Since then, it has been cast somewhat adrift from its conceptual moorings; today in the literature migration systems are generally either conflated with migrant networks or elevated to the heights of macro-level abstraction which divorces them from any empirical basis. At the same time, by taking on board more sophisticated notions of agency, emergence, and social mechanisms, the broader concept of the social system has moved on from the rather discredited structural-functionalist marina where it was first launched. In recent years, having been rejected by many social theorists, the social system has been subject to major reconstruction prior to its re-launch as a respectable and valuable area of social enquiry. This paper argues that, for the most part, these developments in systems theory have been ignored by those applying the concept of systems to the analysis of migration. It addresses the question of how the concept of the migration system can be reformulated in the light of these theoretical advances and what implications this may have for our research and analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Oliver Bakewell, 2013. "Re-launching migration systems," Norface Discussion Paper Series 2013011, Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London.
    • Handle: RePEc:nor:wpaper:2013011
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oliver Bakewell & Hein de Haas & Agnieszka Kubal, 2011. "Migration systems, pioneers and the role of agency," Norface Discussion Paper Series 2011023, Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London.
    2. Gerring, John, 2008. "The Mechanismic Worldview: Thinking Inside the Box," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(1), pages 161-179, January.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    migration system; networks; systems theory; critical realism; social mechanisms; agency; emergence; feedback.;
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