Focusing on the intersection between globalization and migration, this powerful text traces a dynamic, contradictory process that has set the world in motion and incorporated millions of migrants into an economic market whose dimensions are unprecedented in human history. Eliot Dickinson emphasizes recent developments in global politics, such as the massive number of refugees from wars in the Middle East who are now seeking asylum in Europe; the "Fortress Europe" mentality illustrated on the Italian island of Lampedusa; the heart-wrenching humanitarian challenge of Mexican and Central American children arriving alone in the United States; and the effects of climate change and environmental destruction on international migration. Today, with the collaboration of compliant governments and elites in the peripheral countries of the Global South, multinational corporations continue to flout regulations, destroy the environment, and take advantage of the large number of displaced, unemployed workers. While globalization is eliminating barriers between countries and making it easier for goods and capital to move around the world, the industrialized countries of the Global North are simultaneously putting up barriers to people and making it harder for them to migrate. This timely and provocative book explains how we have arrived at this paradoxical point in history and critically examines why governments are enacting policies that protect borders instead of people.

Discover the origins and consequences of human movement over time, from the 16th-century Age of Discovery to 21st-century immigration politics. This book examines the complex forces behind international migration and the enormous impact it is having on our globalized world. Chapters cover both the challenges and opportunities associated with migration in a broad selection of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania. Readers will find in-depth analysis of such recent events as the Ukrainian refugee crisis, violence against immigrants in South Africa, support for right-wing political parties in Germany, Australia's use of offshore detention centers, and the Trump administration's efforts to curb immigration. Readers will also uncover the historical antecedents to the modern landscape of human migration, including the push for colonization and the exploitation and horrors of the slave trade. The book also investigates the profound impact that climate change will have on patterns of human migration in the coming years. Taken together, the chapters offer candid and compelling coverage of a dynamic subject that affects millions of people worldwide. For readers wishing to delve even deeper into this multifaceted and often contentious subject, a comprehensive list of recommended readings serves as a gateway to further exploration.

Focusing on the intersection between globalization and migration, this powerful text traces a dynamic, contradictory process that has set the world in motion and incorporated millions of migrants into an economic market whose dimensions are unprecedented in human history. Eliot Dickinson emphasizes recent developments in global politics, such as the massive number of refugees from wars in the Middle East who are now seeking asylum in Europe; the "Fortress Europe" mentality illustrated on the Italian island of Lampedusa; the heart-wrenching humanitarian challenge of Mexican and Central American children arriving alone in the United States; and the effects of climate change and environmental destruction on international migration. Today, with the collaboration of compliant governments and elites in the peripheral countries of the Global South, multinational corporations continue to flout regulations, destroy the environment, and take advantage of the large number of displaced, unemployed workers. While globalization is eliminating barriers between countries and making it easier for goods and capital to move around the world, the industrialized countries of the Global North are simultaneously putting up barriers to people and making it harder for them to migrate. This timely and provocative book explains how we have arrived at this paradoxical point in history and critically examines why governments are enacting policies that protect borders instead of people.