ABSTRACT

Mobility in the “global North” is usually regarded as a sign of individual progress and an expression of a modern society and is thus perceived as desirable. In contrast, mobility in the “global South” is often depicted as a symptom of failure and as such it is presumed that it has to be prevented. This chapter illustrates how the dichotomisation of the world in “North” and “South” leads to different conceptualizations of migration and how a “northern” idea of what is a good life affects research on the environment-migration nexus. Moreover, the chapter provides a thought experiment by comparing different types of migrants identified for the West African study areas to (potentially) similar types of migrants in Europe in order to identify similarities and differences of migration in the “North” and “South”.