Migration in the Asia Pacific

This book examines the overall trends and labour patterns of migrants, their relationship with the state, and the impacts they have on the societies in which they work and sometimes settle. The book adopts a multidisciplinary perspective which encompasses economics, history, politics, geography, and sociology, and presents a unique body of new empirical research that forms the basis of many of the chapters.

The book emphasises the growing importance and value of transnational communities and multiple identities. It covers many of the diverse migration patterns that have recently emerged – from rural out-migration in China, to international labour movements in the Asia Pacific region as a whole. The conditions of many migrant workers are far from satisfactory and this is highlighted in a number of the chapters. Settlement outcomes, when and where they occur, have major policy and social implications and are changing the ethnic composition of many countries in the region. The growth of civil society in Singapore, increased ethnic diversity in Japan and the emergence of New Zealand’s multicultural population are all examples of some of the developments that host nations are having to come to terms with.

This extensive book presents state-of-the-art research on migration in the Asia Pacific, specifically focusing on the economic, political and social identities of migrants, and the responses of different states to this complex issue. It will be extremely worthwhile reading for students, scholars and researchers in the social sciences, especially those with an interest in geography, demography and the theory and policy of international migration.