Page 49 - IJPS-10-4

International Journal of
Population Studies Conceptual challenges in migration

themselves as occupying only one category (immigrant to fit into categories, such as asylum-seekers or refugees
or refugee). However, if we can open enough interpretive (Bohmer & Shuman, 2008). Therefore, when seeking
space for them to ponder and define their own lives, they to understand the nuances of migrations, we ought to
may reframe those experiences as occupying multiple be careful not to portray complexity in ways that could
positions (immigrant and refugee) and explore the undermine already insufficient protections for those
temporal dynamics of shifting among various categories seeking asylum and refuge. Engaging with nuance should
(international student then asylee). be oriented toward opening spaces for newcomers rather
than providing grounds on which governments and
5. Opportunities and risks exclusionary social movements can undermine claims for
Briefly, I want to highlight both a potential opportunity and asylum, refuge, and safety.
a possible risk associated with adopting flexible migration 6. Conclusion
categories. First, we should consider how complicating binary
migration categories can help individuals address exclusions I want to emphasize that migration scholars (and many
and articulate alternative views on migration, belonging, others) have long recognized the challenges inherent in
and citizenship. This approach allows for the incorporation categorizing migration to understand the social world.
of ambiguities and tensions as individuals navigate various In this perspective article, I have argued that one way to
positions within a multidimensional migration space-time. work through those difficulties is using the metaphor of
Providing opportunities for those who migrate to develop a multidimensional migration space-time to explore the
their self-conceptions, rooted in norms of welcoming complex breadth of experiences and phenomena that fall
and justice and sensitive to power dynamics, may provide under the broad label of migration. I suggest this notion
language around which to articulate demands and build as a heuristic approach through which to engage in the
coalitions across communities otherwise assumed to be work of destabilizing categories, reflecting on contingent
disparate. For example, given the opportunity to explore particularities, and considering new possibilities. This
their experiences in nuanced ways, those with legal status as process can help us become more comfortable with
refugees in the US may find that they share interests, goals, ambiguity, messiness, and contradiction. The idea is to
and experiences with visa lottery winners or recipients of play in that space throughout the planning, undertaking,
family reunification visas. Moreover, they may not only and iteration of research projects. Engaging with
find grounds for solidarity with those in other migration multidimensional migration space-time can be a part of
categories but also with those in the native-born population reflexive practice (Dahinden et al., 2021). This process
across other intersecting vectors and dimensions. is method-agnostic and not predefined; many different
data collection and analysis strategies can sit alongside
Second, while engaging with the complexities of
migration through flexible concepts is important, there it. It could be adopted and adapted to an array of future
are risks involved in destabilizing existing categories. research projects. Given that migration is a fundamental
Researchers must be careful about how the information we social, political, and economic experience with important
implications for the rights, security, and opportunities of
collect and analyze may be instrumentalized by authorities tens of millions of people, it is crucial that we give it the
in ways that could harm rather than help people on the careful attention it deserves.
move. Existing rights and protections for those seeking
asylum and refuge are already inadequate. Broadly Acknowledgments
speaking, the international refugee regime and national-
level governments often require individuals to prove they I extend my sincere gratitude to my colleagues in the
are either refugees or not, leaving no room for complexity. writers’ group at Rowan University for their helpful
As a result, states have a particular interest in maintaining feedback on the ideas presented in this article.
binary categorizations of migration to determine who can Funding
cross their borders and under what conditions.
None.
In addition to dichotomous conceptions of migration
categories, governments, NGOs, and media often Conflict of interest
understand migration through binary framings of
immigrants and refugees as good/bad and deserving/ The author declares that he has no competing interest.
undeserving (Dhaliwal & Forkert, 2016; Raghuram, 2021;
Szczepanik, 2016). States and their agents frequently seek Author contributions
to exclude and deny protections to those they deem not This is a single-authored article.

Volume 10 Issue 4 (2024) 43 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3004