Literature on migration tends to focus on a sedentarised understanding of migration, when migrants move from place A to place B and settle there. This focus often overlooks the so-called multiple migrants, people who engage in international movements repeatedly and direct this movement at different destination countries.
Multiple migrants can move in various sequences, moving onward from one destination country to another or returning to the country of origin before heading off elsewhere again, and for long or short periods of time.Studying multiple migrations recognises the under-studied complexities of movement, with people moving repeatedly at different points in their life course and collecting various resources which facilitate further movement.
Crucially, the multiple migration phenomenon has consequences regarding how we think about some of the most studied concepts in migration studies, such as migrant integration, which may become at odds with the reality of how at least some move in contemporary Europe and beyond. Multiple migration has been a focus of the mixed-methods Multimig project carried out at the Centre of Migration Research (University of Warsaw), focusing on multiple migration trajectories of Poles located in various parts of the world. You can read more about the project here.
Cross-Migration’s Migration Research Hub offers more resources needed to understand the multiple migration phenomenon. You will find more information and a list of publications on the topic under the specifically designated taxonomy branch referring to multiple migration .
Keep an eye on this space for more information on the launch of the Migration Research Hub.