ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a typology of mobility that deals with all types of movements at a variety of spatial and temporal scales–from the one extreme of movements over very short distances several times a day to single intra-continental moves over several thousands of miles. Space may be considered in terms of either distance and/or direction. The typology therefore considers space in four categories of rural/urban relationships –rural/rural, rural/urban, urban/rural and urban/urban. Like that of space, the dimension of time in mobility may be considered in a variety of ways. The temporal dimension in the typology is formulated in contemporary terms since the concern is with present-day mobility phenomena. The relevance of distance and historical time are indicated in the discussion of the spatial and temporal dimensions of the typology. Studies of population mobility in Africa must aim to combine the spatial/ temporal dimensions outlined in the typology with the associated economic/ non-economic factors.
