Introduction: The “material turn” in migration studies

Abstract

This introduction firstly discusses the ongoing paradigm shifts in the study of transnational migration, in particular the emergent interest in the convergence of migration and material culture (Basu and Coleman 2008), as the starting point of our investigation. It then highlights three aspects that this Special Issue could further in the current study of migration and materialities: namely, historical consciousness in materialising the migration experience and the notion of generational transmission; the everyday experience of body as the site for mutual constitution between subject and object; and the unique value of a language-based, interdisciplinary-oriented approach. In the final part, it summarizes the five articles that follow, highlighting the contribution that each makes to our overall objective of making a “material turn” in migration studies, and discusses some ways it could be further developed.