We explain what emigration, immigration and emigration are, the differences between them, their similarities and examples.
What are migration, emigration and immigration?
Migration is the change of habitual residence of a living being either permanently or seasonally, that is, to change habitat and location for long periods of time. Those who undertake these movements are known as migrants or migratory species.
It is possible to distinguish between animal migrations and human migrations, since they usually occur for different reasons and according to different mechanics: Animals migrate from one habitat to another escaping adverse weather conditions, or pursuing a safe site for courtship and reproduction.
For example, swallows usually flee winter to warmer latitudes, flying en masse until they find a suitable place in which to build their nests again. Once the cold weather ends, they head back home en masse. Instead, Human beings do it in pursuit of socioeconomic improvements or as a consequence of forced displacement due to wars, political crises or natural disasters.
Depending on whether one or the other is the case, we will be in the field of study of zoology and ecology, or geography and demography.
See also: External migration
Difference between emigrate and immigrate
In the case of human migrations, they are differentiated according to the point of view from which they are considered. If it is considered from the place that people leave, it is about emigration. On the other hand, if one considers from the place where they arrive, it is called immigration. One phenomenon cannot occur without the other, and the distinction between being an emigrant and an immigrant depends on the point of view.
Thus, for those who remain in their country of origin, those who abandon it in search of new places to reside, are emigrants, since they have left, they have gone (the term comes from the Latin I will exmigrateliterally “moving outward”).
On the other hand, those same individuals, perceived from the point of view of those who are originally from the place to which they are going, become immigrants, since they come from outside and settle within a new country (the term comes from the Latin immigrateliterally “moving inward”).
The processes of emigration and immigration are very common throughout human history, and are direct causes of genetic and cultural enrichment and exchange between peoples that make up humanity. Since time immemorial, human beings have migrated, bringing with them knowledge, customs, languages and religions, which constitute a contribution to their new place of residence.
However, not everyone perceives these complex processes of human displacement in the same way, especially when they occur on a massive scale. The increase in the destination population that immigration brings with it has a direct impact on its economy.
Thus, new workers and new elements are added to the work culture, but at the same time competition for existing resources increases, which usually generates discomfort in the original local population. That's why, In contexts of mass immigration, xenophobic attitudes may arise.
For its part, Emigration is a debilitating phenomenon for the people of origin of migrants, which not only decreases their total population, but also loses workers, knowledge and talents, whose training took time and local resources, but whose fruits will be collected by the destination country.
Today it is estimated that there are some 272 million international migrants in the world, two thirds of whom are labor migrants (that is, people seeking employment outside their country). Many others are displaced and refugees for political and war reasons (79.5 million), or asylum seekers abroad due to suffering harassment and persecution in their countries (4.2 million). Migration is a typical phenomenon of the human species.
Examples of migration, immigration and emigration
Throughout history there have been countless cases of human migrations. The capitals of the great ancient empires, in fact, were host sites for large waves of migration, and in general they were immensely cosmopolitan places. But a history of human migrations would not be complete without mentioning the following cases:
- The expansion of the human species to the different corners of the planet is the first case of mass migration in the history of our species. As we well know, humanity emerged in Africa, and from there colonized Eurasia and the other continents about 60,000 to 65,000 years ago.
- The Jewish exodus from Egypt an episode recounted in the Bible and which consisted of the abandonment of the Hebrew people from the imperial lands, in which they were treated as slaves, in pursuit of the promised land where they would found their own kingdom.
- The period of the great migrations understood according to ancient historians between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD. C., which included the so-called “barbarian invasions” that destabilized the Western Roman Empire, as well as other important political units in the Eurasian region: the Sassanid Empire, the Gupta Empire or the Han Empire.
- The colonization of America which occurred after the war of conquest and subjugation of the American aboriginal peoples, involved the displacement of large masses of European settlers to the so-called “New Continent” between the 15th and 19th centuries.
- The Mediterranean migration crisis which has taken place in the first decades of the 21st century, in which a large flow of refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants and other individuals in situations of extreme vulnerability have attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea to flee Africa and the East. Half towards Europe, in pursuit of the long-awaited welfare state, or fleeing war and persecution. Unfortunately, this has awakened nationalist sentiment and xenophobic attitudes among some sectors of the European population, who perceive the massive arrival of migrants as a threat to their traditions and way of life.
Continue with: Types of migration
References
- “Migration” on Wikipedia.
- “Human migration” on Wikipedia.
- “Emigration” on Wikipedia.
- “Immigration” on Wikipedia.
- “Migration” in the United Nations Organization.
- “Migration” in the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
