Migration and Identity

How are migration and identity related to each other?

Migration is defined as the movement of a person or group of people from one area to another. It is generally categorised by the locations between which the migration takes place, as well as the cause or motive behind the migration.

Identity can be defined as the degree to which a particular person associates themselves with a particular group or characteristic. This can relate to national, religious, ethnic identity, etc. The identity of an individual will often alter the individual perception of a particular area, which is a contributing factor to migration. Older generations who have lived in a particular area for a long time often find themselves attached to it and identify with it. Younger generations however often lack this attachment and are therefore far more likely to migrate.

Migration by spatial scale

We classify migration by spatial scale broadly into two categories.

National, or regional migration

This is the movement of a person or people from one area to another, within the same country or geographical region. The most common type of movement in this category is rural-to-urban migration.

International, or global migration

This is the movement of a person or people from one nation or political state to another. The most common migration in this category is the economic movement of people from less affluent nations to more affluent ones.

Causes of migration

The causes of migration are categorised by the type of motives or lack thereof. Migrations that are voluntary can be explained by push and pull factors.

Migration by motive

We classify these broadly into two categories.

Forced migration

This is the movement of a person or people from one area to another against the person's will. This could be as a result of a threat to their freedom, e.g. due to persecution based on religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, etc; or environmental threats such as drought, flood, threats to food and water sources, etc. When a person has successfully migrated to another nation as a result of the aforementioned causes they are a refugee. If they are still seeking to migrate they are referred to as asylum seekers.

Economic or incentivised migration

This is the voluntary migration of a person or people for reasons of work and/or improved quality of life. The pattern of migration, in this case, is generally from less economically affluent countries to more economically affluent countries and is often regional, e.g. from Mexico and other Latin American countries to the USA, or the movement of eastern European nationals to western European countries such as UK or Germany. On a national scale, this type of migration often takes the form of rural-to-urban migration.

Push/pull factors

Some examples of 'push' factors:

• High unemployment, which causes economic struggles.

• Low environmental quality caused by pollution, and other hazardous environments.

• Lack of access to clean drinking water or sanitation.

• War, persecution, and civil unrest.

• Poor access to public services.

Some examples of 'pull' factors:

• Job opportunities with higher wages and safer working conditions.

• Higher environmental quality, e.g. clean air, water, sanitation, etc.

• Inclusive societies where there is less persecution for beliefs or political affiliations.

• High-quality public services, e.g. high standards of education, healthcare and security.

Push/pull factors case study (Poland)

Poland endured a long period of poor economic and social conditions resulting from the Second World War, and then Soviet control through puppet governments in the Cold War era. Together with seven other eastern European countries, it finally joined the European Union in 2004, allowing Polish citizens the freedom of movement to more economically affluent western European nations. This directly led to more than 800,000 Poles immigrating to western European nations (mostly UK and Germany). While the majority of immigration from Poland occurred in the years immediately following 2004, there is still a Polish diaspora of about 20 million abroad, out of a total of about 38 million citizens.

Push-pull factor analysis (2004) between Poland and the UK.

More recently, there are further push factors in Poland that relate to social rather than economic reasons. From allegations of election rigging to the systematic discrimination against the LGBTQI community [Fig 2], the ruling political party, PiS, has caused many young Poles to migrate and seek residency in more tolerant and accepting nations.

Fig. 1 - Map of Poland. Red indicates 'LGBT free zones'

Consequences of migration

Consequences of migration are usually separated between the consequences for the country migrants are leaving behind, and the country that receives them.

Nation-states and sovereignty

Nation-states are defined as independent nations that are sovereign, often with an organised government with the right to make laws and regulations without the interference of other collective bodies or organisations. Sovereignty is defined as the legal right to govern a physical territory.

We may say that nation-states are formed by unity at some scale. However, every state will still have variations in ethnic, cultural, and linguistic unity as a result of their population changes, the role of migration, and the populations’ identity. These factors together with historical context and physical geography will often determine a nation’s borders. Remember, national borders can be, and often are disputed. We don’t always have a consensus as to the position of the country's borders, and the reasons behind the proposed borders.

The concepts of sovereignty and ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identities are influential in the degree to which nationalism (an extreme form of patriotism) arises. Nationalism was vital to the development of empires such as the Roman Empire. This created conflict when other nations became parts of larger empires, often in the context of colonialism, as with the British Raj in India.