ABSTRACT
Social science scholars have developed conceptual tools and empirical studies to understand the distinct forms of migration and ethnicity and the rapidly changing political, social, and demographic scenarios. Numerous concepts have been developed, often framed and reframed to account for changing realities and the diversity of empirical situations and cases. These concepts interact and are interrelated. In this particular chapter, we focus on the concept of identity, particularly in the context of migration and demographic diversity. How does migration shape identities, particularly ethnic and related identities? We are interested in identities around ethnicity and race, how migration processes affect these identities, and how the polity and social structures manage and shape migration and diversity. Identity, diversity, and migration are ripe with semantic confusion, especially today when facts are increasingly disputed and irrelevant. Thus, we are particularly attentive to the dissonance, overlaps, and interrelations between scholarly/scientific concepts and those used in political and popular discourse. Moreover, we focus on the concept of boundaries, in geographic, political, and socially interactive dimensions, and how these create and shape identities. By understanding these elements, we seek to generate a conceptual map of migration and identity.
