Skeldon, Ronald (2021) Advanced Introduction to Migration Studies. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 176
| Published date | 01 April 2023 |
| Author | Karina Goulordava |
| Date | 01 April 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13114 |
Too often, recurring portrayals of migration are reduced to movements from impoverished or conflict-stricken coun-
tries to safer and more prosperous states. In this recent work, Ronald Skeldon resituates migration in its broad-
ness, variety and endemic presence in human activity. Skeldon carefully avoids sensationalism and underscores that
migration patterns and concentrations vary across geography and history. By expertly confronting the complexities
of migration, Skeldon offers a nuanced framework and accessible introductory text for those studying migration
and migrants. Like migration studies, this book transcends disciplinary divides and can be easily grasped by readers
from varied backgrounds. Skeldon also prompts the reader to consider how migration research differs methodolog-
ically across disciplines. A clear demonstration of the author's experience, this book is a worthwhile resource for
both academics and practitioners, especially those working on migration but not situated within migration-specific
institutions.
Across seven substantive chapters, an introduction and a conclusion, Skeldon situates migration in social,
economic, political, development and management contexts and considers future scenarios. As an example of the
book's dependability as a go-to resource, the notes following each chapter are valuable for identifying further read-
ings. In the first chapter, Skeldon begins with a focus on definitions, measures and sources related to migrants and
migration, thereby immediately tackling the murkiness and lacking agreement around existing numbers, terminologies
and data collection methods. With a measured approach, the chapter results in usable definitions while acknowledg-
ing lingering questions and possible exceptions. Despite the particular difficulty of defining and measuring internal
migration, Skeldon provides ample discussion on internal migration in this and other chapters. Chapter 2 outlines the
main global movements and their points of origin and trajectories. The chapter's broad brushstrokes give a general
overview and underscore migration's uneven distribution and effects across geographies. For example, ‘the stock
of 50.1 million [migrants] in the United States represented about 15 per cent of the total population […] while a 2.2
million stock in Qatar made up 79 per cent of the resident population’ (p. 19). The provision of varied perspectives
on migration in relation to population size, geography and particular states offers a more nuanced understanding of
migration patterns globally and their impacts in different settings.
In chapters 3 and 4, the author examines the main migration-focused theories from social, economic and political
dimensions. Skeldon provides a valuable review of earlier theories that are less commonly included in other theo-
retical overviews, including Ravenstein's Laws of Migration, Turner's frontier theory for the United States and Lee's
theory of migration, which later fed into push–pull theories. Skeldon then reviews more frequently covered theo-
ries, including equilibrium and neo-classical models, household-based approaches, structural approaches and Wilbur
BOOK REVIEW
DOI: 10.1111/imig.13114
Received: 26 November 2022 Accepted: 8 December 2022
375
Int Migr. 2023;61:375–377. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
Ronald Skeldon. 2021. Advanced Introduction
to Migration Studies. Edward Elgar Publishing:
Cheltenham & Massachusetts. pp.176.
Karina Goulordava
Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
Email: kgoulordava21@ku.edu.tr
© 2022 International Organization for Migration.
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