人口移動研究の課題と視点
スポンサーリンク
概要
- 論文の詳細を見る
In geography a body of migration studies has accumulated, and especially since 1970's, examinations of the problems and viewpoints of the research have been made. In Japan, however, geographers have hardly tried to investigate the general framework and problems in migration study. The author thinks this is because in this country they were not sensitive to findings made by foreign geographers. In addition, migration research in other fields of social sciences has not been introduced and referred to positively.In this review, the author attempts to put problems and viewpoints of the research topic in order, by classifying the existing literature. In the first place, he gives attention to three aspects of migration; migrant, environment surrounding him/her and migration flows. These are considered to build up a migration mechanism as a whole, so it is important for us to study them and their interrelationships.(1) Migrant: A potential migrant has some attributes and he/she experiences the decision-making process of migration. Generally, the attributes are grouped into three: those relating to (a) age and life cycle, (b) socio-economic status, and (c) physical and mental characteristics. A potential migrant makes the decision to move/migrate or stay, based on various attributes as his/her own possessions and background. These attributes can change after migration. When the first motivation to migrate is given to the potential migrant in the decision-making process, then he/she examines some points about migration, e. g., place utility of destination, possibility of his/her status promotion, risk and cost of migration, etc.(2) Environment: The environment around this potential migrant could have some effects on his/her attributes and gives him/her information. Some attributes of origin/ destination regions, such as quality of life or standard of living also could influence the migrant there. In some cases, someone or some human group at the destination may offer attractive information. Especially, in developing countries or regions, such information, though sometimes it may be time-lagged or biased, is essential to chain migrants.(3) Migration Flows: Quantitative geographers are willing to use physical characteristics of migration flows as variables in their quantitative models. Generally, they are specifically shown as number of migrants, distances and directions of flows, pairs of origin and destination, and velocities of flows. For the last three decades, models of spatial interaction have developed and more and more factors, irrespective of economic or social, have been adopted. On the other hand, qualitative characteristics or factors of migration flows, rather than quantitative ones, must be taken into consideration. Aims, causes and forms of the flows, and the independence or voluntariness of migrants, are such examples. But, at any rate, it is troublesome that studies or analyses of migration flows are severely constrained by availability of data.In the geographical study of migration, the three aspects mentioned are vital, but geographers also must throw light on the structure of phases of migration at various scales, and must pursue the analysis of many kinds of migration flows in varied phases.Typology of migration is also very important. One of the central problems of the typological investigation of migration is which criteria to use. The author has examined previous studies concerned with this problem, and presents three types of criteria which seem appropriate. They are (1) spatial and regional criteria, (2) temporal and periodical criteria, and (3) criteria which relate to opportunity and form of migration.As other important topics of migration study, the author lists (1) varied social and economic backgrounds of the time and (2) difference between micro and macro scales of phases of migration.
- 人文地理学会の論文