Migration Forms: What Forms of Migration Can Be Distinguished?

Abstract

This chapter addresses the question: what forms of migration can be distinguished? This topic is closely tied to the issues addressed in the previous chapters, concerning why and how people migrate. Central to the discourse on migration forms—also called categories, types, or flows—lies another important question: who are migrants? This chapter dives into these questions. While the topic of migrant typologies itself would merit its own full-fledged analysis, this is beyond the scope of this chapter. The reflections herein rather seek to summarise some of the main arguments and questions pertaining to the debates on categorisation in migration studies.