The Contemporary World

Term Paper

Submitted by:
Cang, Garith B.
Villaluz, John Bryand G.
Escarilla, Ira Grace
Gallo, Faith Hernandez
Gaquit, Angie A.
Palmares, Pearly Mae

Submitted to: Instr. Darling G. Gales

Introduction
“Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the
social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family.” — Ban Ki-Moon

As long as there has been humankind, there has been migration, which is the movement of people.
Migration is connected to numerous global challenges, such as economic development, poverty, and
human rights. Although there are many social and economic advantages to migration, there are also
drawbacks such as natural disasters, political unrest, familial obligations, and more. There are two types
of migration the Internal Migration and International Migration. Internal migration is when they only
migrate within the country, and International migration is when they migrate outside the country or when
they change their country of usual residence.

Most commonly, people consider migration to be a recent phenomenon. However, migration has long
been a part of human existence. Humans have always moved in both groups and individually to seek
freedom from war and conflict, to run from hunger and poverty, to discover new economic possibilities
and employment, to escape from political or religious intolerance, or even just to trade and travel to new
areas. According to Robin Cohen (1995) a historian has identified some distinct migration periods or
events that have taken place over the last four centuries.

History Of Global Migration

During the modern era, migration inside Europe occurred as religious groups like the Jews and
Huguenots tried to flee persecution and for economic reasons as farmers moved to find employment in
just established industries. The 17th and 18th centuries saw a regular occurrence of seasonal or circular
migration, which is the phrase for people who travel to another country and then return home every year.

Then, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a number of European nations, notably Britain, Spain,
Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, and France, encouraged the emigration of their citizens. This
migration aided in the expansion of European dominance throughout most of the world. Indigenous
people in the colonized territories were frequently devastated by new diseases introduced by European
settlers. Local communities lost control of and access to their lands as a result of armed conflicts and the
expansion of settler settlements.

In search of a better life away from the political oppression and poverty of their native Europe, migrants
began to settle in the Americas and the former colonies of the New World between the 1800s and the
1930s.48 million individuals are thought to have fled Europe between 1800 and 1930 (Massey et al.,
1998), with about 8 million of them coming from the British Isles, including over a million who left Ireland
after the potato famine of 1845–1847. The governments of New Zealand and Australia kept providing
facilitated passages to immigrants from Europe up until the 1970s.

Conclusion

In general, Robin Cohen's book discusses the many sorts of migration that took place within Europe
during the 17th and 18th centuries, explains the significance of long-term habitation in the colonies, and
explains the causes of mass migration to the New World. The issue of international migration will also
persist as a key problem in the modern world.
References: A history of migration | Striking Women (striking-women.org), A Global Approach to Migration on
JSTOR