The limits of (im)mobility. Rethinking migration in the light of multiple crises
Abstract
The introduction presents an analysis of the current state of sociological debates on the main contemporary theories of mobility, immobility and migration. Its starting point is an analysis that takes into account both the “mobility turn” proposed by Mimi Sheller and John Urry and contributions on the transnational perspective in migration studies, in order to place mobility once again at the heart of the social sciences in general, and sociology in particular. This theoretical exercise is carried out against the background of the intersection or explanatory linking of multiple contemporary crises and understanding that the way for sociology to reclaim the study of mobility is based on the understanding that mobility intersects with processes of social stratification.
It also provides a synthesis of the main contributions to the debate on issues of mobility and immobility in the field of sociology of migration. It also includes a reflection on the role of different crises (in particular the economic recession of 2008, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic) in the understanding of the processes of mobility and immobility and their analysis by both sociology and migration studies. Finally, the contribution of each of the articles included in this monograph to the academic debate on mobility/ immobility is reviewed.
Keywords
mobility, immobility, migration, crisis, pandemic, globalisation, inequalityReferences
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