on as quite distinct from broader social relationships and change processes. I will argue for the need to embed migration research in a more general understanding of contemporary society. This requires forms of inquiry that start from a situation of rapid and generalised changes. I refer to these processes as social transformation, as a convenient label to facilitate discussion of the complexity, interconnectedness, variability, contextuality and multi-level mediations of global change. The article links the analysis of migration to important trends in the theory and methodology of various social scientific disciplines, and illustrates interdisciplinary social transformation research by looking at the example of labour force change in northern economies. My analysis points to rather different conclusions than Alejandro Portes’ (2010) article (in this special issue of JEMS). Portes argues that migration does not generally change the fundamental structures and institutions of developed societies. By contrast, I will argue that migration is actually one part of the process of transformation of these structures and institutions, which arises through major changes in global political, economic and social relationships.
Migration, Mobility and the ‘Sedentary Bias’
The Rocky Road Towards a ‘Single Theory’ of Migration
A Social Transformation Framework for Migration Studies
For Example: Migration and Labour Force Dynamics in the New Economy
Conclusion 总结
The central aim of this paper has been to discuss some of the difficulties of theory formation in migration studies, and to suggest a possible response. The problems include surmounting disciplinary boundaries, preventing fragmentation into isolated sub-fields, fending off political or bureaucratic cooption, overcoming a bias towards receiving-country perspectives and*most important*finding appropriate theories and methodologies to reflect the complexity, diversity and contextuality of migratory processes. The solution does not lie in seeking to formulate a single (or general) theory of migration, which would almost inevitably degenerate into banality and abstraction. But nor are answers to be found by abandoning the quest for theoretical advancement on the grounds that all migratory processes are different and unique. The suggested response is that migration researchers should seek to develop middle-range theories that can help integrate the insights of the various social sciences to understand the regularities and variations of a range of migratory processes within a given historical socio-economic constellation. Such middle-range theories can form the basis for a conceptual framework, which takes contemporary social transformation processes as a starting point, for understanding shifting patterns of human mobility. Such a conceptual framework would consist of a detailed mapping of the factors that influence migratory processes and of the connections between these factors. The examples above focused on labour-market dimensions of migration, but it is important to also include the many non-economic factors that make migration such an all-embracing human experience. A key aspect of this conceptual framework would be that it should not restrict itself to migration, but rather seek to link analysis of migr
