ABSTRACT
Chapter 1, an introduction to the study of forced migration, provides an overview of the often arbitrary distinction between forced migration and voluntary migration. It sets out to provide a basic understanding of forced migration, particularly the key definitions, statistics, patterns, ideas and key theories involved. It looks at how categorisations and labels constructed by policy makers affect the way people who are forced to migrate are perceived and represented and what this means for legal and policy responses. Summaries of two key thinkers are provided – Stephen Castles on The Age of Migration and Anthony Richmond on Global Apartheid. The chapter then considers legal instruments and definitions around forced migration, important considerations and caveats when studying this topic, a brief overview of which organisations assist people who migrate and details of relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An outline is then provided of how the book introduces the complex topic of forced migration, the different forms of forced migration, who forced migrants are, where they are located, why people migrate, how people recreate their worlds in the face of increasingly restrictive legislation and policy and what happens to the forcibly displaced.
