Summary
Contents
Studies is an important, interdisciplinary thread which runs through contemporary debates on globalization, citizenship, community studies, political geography and identity. It has always represented a significant component of ethnic, multicultural and racial studies but the last few years have seen a steady increase in separate / autonomous courses and modules as students, lecturers and researchers engage with the field. This proposal looks to pull together the central themes of the field; its approach is logical and the three main themes the authors identify are a useful hook upon which to hang the text. International relevance and marketability is obviously important; the inclusion of a US and a UK author with such sympathetic expertise will help to maximise the appeal of the project. The authors are aware of the need to balance the needs of different markets and their willingness to develop the proposal in response to the reviewers' comments is encouraging.
Selectivity
Selectivity
Definition: A process that determines whether certain types of individuals are more likely to migrate than others from the same sending region, whether as part of regulated recruitment or via self-selection.
It is well established that migration is selective. Not just anybody moves from their home to a new destination. About 3 per cent of the world's population (or 214 million persons) in 2010 consisted of individuals who had moved internationally, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). That proportion might seem quite small. Even so, international migration has had a tremendous impact on states and societies. Immigrants sent remittances totalling US$440 billion in 2010, for instance. In some countries, especially in the Middle East, immigrants constitute as much as half or more ...
