Review by Choice Review
Understanding Global Migration is a big book that tries to do big things by reaching beyond the usual sites of migration research to explore migration as a global phenomenon. The authors use a few key examples from different regions to build a theory about the nature of contemporary migration. They assert from the outset that certain things matter when analyzing modern migration regimes: (1) the state, (2) a historical and comparative approach, (3) human rights, and (4) migration as an engine of development. The authors organize the book into four sections representing the varieties of migration regimes: the postcolonial migration state informing African and the Middle Eastern illiberal modes; the developmental migration state as a source of and for development in Asia; the liberal and settler migration state behind the multiple nativist and inclusionary traditions in the Americas; and the liberal and post-imperial migration state reflecting the end of European colonialism, the transition from mass emigration to immigration, and conflicts over a comprehensive European policy. Theoretically rich chapters are matched by accessible empirical data. The authors are delightfully candid in evaluating migration governance and holes in understanding. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty. --Robin A. Harper, York College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
