ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of key concepts and developments in the field of return migration over the past two decades. First, the question of what is return will be examined. Definitions of return migration differ across different contexts depending on the duration of the migration, duration of the return, nationality of the migrant, and intention of the return to be permanent or temporary. A second core issue is the voluntary or forced nature of the return itself, thus determining if the individual was deported, coerced, or returning on their own volition. Third, the chapter will address post-return experiences during the reintegration processes. This can be challenging, and this section will examine how different returnees experience and receive support in their reintegration. Finally, return migration may be a continual stage in the migration journey, in particular for transnational migrants or individuals who aspire to remigrate, or it may be ‘the end of the migration cycle’. The chapter concludes by examining the role of return in different migration trajectories. Throughout the chapter, the heterogeneity of return migration will be stressed by drawing on different types of return migrants such as students, labour migrants, and refugee repatriations.
