Migration in Globalization and Modernization - Term Paper Example

Migration in Globalization and Modernization Migration of people in the 21st century has been depicted to be on the rise. People are moving across the globe freely with no restrictions as opposed in the 20th century, where government policies deregulated emigrations and immigrations. The paper aimed at identifying the main factors that have led to the massive migration of people. Additionally, the paper explains the concepts of modernization and globalization, as well as, their influence in determining migration frequencies and patterns. The study adopts article review of the class course materials regarding the anthropology of migration. Migration has been found to be explained by economic disparities across the globe leading to the substantial populations leave their countries to seek for better jobs and payments as explained by modernization concept. Additionally, the government has been identified to be an influential tool for determining the migration patterns and the types. Most of governments encourage emigrations based on remittance arguments in that, the people in the diaspora will bring remittances home for GDP growth and economic development. Consequently, governments such as in the North American and the UK zone have allowed emigration via encouraging dual citizenship. Lastly, the study reveals that seek of education, faiths and government deployment of soldiers may be basis of migration that has led to increased global migration. Key Words: Migration, Modernization, Globalization, socio-political and economic factors Migration in Globalization and Modernization Introduction The anthropology of migration has been an area of research since a couple of decades ago as opposed to the 1960s. The early studies focused on the shifts or movements of peasants to the cities, therefore, creating the model of stage-migration where different generations would move to some populous areas such as the shantytowns. Current research has embarked on the different social settings, economic, political and advancement of technology. Consequently, these are the underlying motives that explain the modern models of migration especially in the classic, the emergent and the modern studies. However, the modern and the classic periods based their arguments on the push and pull factors that motivated movement of people. However, the modern arguments towards explanation of migration have been influenced by the modernization and globalization concepts. The paper unpacks the main reasons why people nowadays migrate across the globe. Discussion The current studies argue that migration of different cohorts of different populations may be reflected as internal, international of transnational migration depending on spatial boundaries. Accordingly, internal migration was identified to be the main type of migration during the 20th century characterized by the Rural-urban migration. One of the underlying reasons that explain this type of migration entails the availability of jobs in the city and urban areas. Consequently, the push-pull theory explains how labour force cannot be supported in the rural areas due to high population growth rate and rising expectations regarding the quality of life. Cities act as the pull factor that bears the forces that can sustain these cohorts. Such an idea can be reflected under modernization. Miller, (2013) puts it as the choice made by the less-advanced population to take advantage of their sole choice of modern tech, communication, industrialization and development of infrastructure within the most developed areas. Consequently, such an aspect explains why the less advantaged population shift to the cities to seek white-collar jobs, and accumulate wealth, hence integrate this opportunity in their lives. Economic and political factors have contributed the migration of people around the globe. Economic environment has constantly changed across the globe hence influencing the demand and supply for labour in different countries. The migration from one country to another has been addressed as international migration (Miller, 2013). It has been estimated that around 100 million live outside their countries as labour force. However, it can be revealed that in the 20th century, migration into US, Canada, Australia among other white lands explicitly limited the dark-skinned populations from immigrating into them. However, with the globalization emergence, it is accepted to migrate to any country of choice. Miller, (2003) reflects globalization as the choice made by the authorities and other business entities to take the advantage of the underdeveloped regions or populations and the exclusive markets in an attempt to gain advantage over other countries. Such an aspect explains why most governments are allowing immigrants and emigrants to the most productive economies to gain competitive advantage in some of their products they are best in production. Outsourcing of workforce has been an emerging aspect that has come up with increased globalization. Consequently, with the modernization issue, most of the countries have opted to assimilate the modern values, technologies, desire for education and entrepreneurialism. Therefore, the returning migrants will bring with them these aspects. Therefore, international migration has found its breakthrough in this 21st century as explained by economic factors and government deregulation policies (Miller, 2013). According to Miller, (2013) transnational migration embraces other type of migration where the immigrants are motivated by different factors. The rising rates for the transnational migration have been associated with the creation of different state boundaries in the 20th century especially for the pastoralists. For these cohorts, they migrated to different localities in search of pastures for their livestock, hence an economic motive. However, in the current periods, the growth of global corporate economy is a key aspect that has explained the migration of people throughout the globe. Accordingly, the global corporate has enabled business people fly among different countries motivated by investment activities (Miller, 2013). Therefore, most of the types of migrants involved in transnational migration entail the labourers who spend significant time working in different localities spread across the globe. Consequently, their migration is determined by the demand and supply of labour in these visited countries. Such movement allows change of identity and citizenship. Government policies over the regulation of acquiring dual citizenship have agitated the transnational migration where an individual can have two nationalities, yet at a foreign country. Additionally, the government has weakened the emigration rights since most of the emigrants earn their countries transfer funds among other remittances. Therefore, the government can be reflected as a key factor that has facilitated migration across the globe. Such an idea may be reflected as globalization technique to allow increased transfer funds from the developed economies brought by the immigrants. For instances, States such as Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Greece among other UK countries have continued to grant citizenship to their emigrants to foster a strong sense of belonging for these populations and their willingness to send remittances to their economy. Consequently, these remittances determine larger proportions for their GDP and the development of their economies. For example, Miller, (2013) points out that, a country like Tonga has 60% of its GDP coming from remittances from its Tongan diaspora while India is the leading country that receives most remittances globally. As long as, this proportion of GDP is helping in the development of the economies, migration will be a continued phenomenon. Other aspects associated with the effects of modernization and globalization may explain why people are on the high demand of leaving their countries. Miller, (2013) points out that labour migrants have composed the biggest percentage of the millions of people who leave their countries. However, under this aspect he points out that wage differential and gaps between the developed countries has been a key determinant of the patterns in which people migrate from and their destinations. Some careers in certain countries pay well than in other countries, hence people from the low-paid countries tend to migrate into the well-paid ones. Consequently, this formulates a circular pattern as economic cycles keep on adversely or positively affecting these countries hence labourers can migrate to more than three countries and back to their homelands. During natural disasters or wars, people may be evicted from their countries, homes and their communities, hence forced to move to other places in seek of security. Colonialism and slavery may be part of the causal factors that make people migrate to other countries to seek freedom. Additionally, natural disasters such as the hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes may continue to affect certain communities such as the ones that live in the coastal regions. Therefore, they may lead to continued loss of properties and lives; hence the remaining counterparts opt to migrate to safer countries. For instance, the Hurricane Katrina led to fleeing of thousands of people who lived in the Gulf Coast regions and Mississippi. On the other hand, people may be internally displaced during political wrangles or clashes or floods. According, to Miller, (2013) these cohorts are reflected as the IDPs in which government may allow them immigrate to other countries. For instance, countries such as Iraq has over 2.8 million IDPs displaced due to clashes of Al-Qaeda attacks while more than two million Haitians were displaced due to the earthquake that continued to strike its landscape for long time. These cohorts may find their selves migrated to other countries, but not based on government or entrepreneurialism motives. Lastly, Miller, (2013) focuses on institutional migrants and reflects that social motives as part of the reasons why people move to other countries. Students are seeking better education elsewhere in the best universities, soldiers are posted in other countries to restore security and the monks and nuns seek their faith from denominations out of their mother countries. Conclusion There has been massive migration of people across the globe in the 21st century. Modernization and globalization have been addressed as key aspects that determine the individuals’ and governments’ motives in migrating and allowing emigration. Migration has been influenced by the changes in socio-economic and political settings of the modern society Changes in economic resource endowments have been the underlying factor that the governments encourage emigration, while different people try seek better jobs that can sustain their living. With increased global corporate activities, people migrate to seek better or increase their investment portfolio. Communal violence and natural disasters have attributed to the increased migration of millions of people seeking for safer places. Social motives have been reflected to be seeking of better education and faith, as well as, deployment of security personnel in the insecure countries to restore peace and security. Reference Miller, B. (2013). Cultural Anthropology. Boston: Pearson Education Read More