ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book contains plethora of real and hypothetical examples from migration studies are discussed with the aim of showing the value that the critical realist approach brings in qualitative migration research along with the limitations of alternative perspectives, namely interpretivism, social constructionism and post-structuralism. Social research that uncovers underlying causal mechanisms and engages in comprehensive explanatory critiques of persistent unequal power relations that underpin, to a great extent, contemporary migration-related processes and phenomena, can be of great value in coordinated, collective efforts to modify the conditions of practical policy making. The book shows that a causal explanatory kind of qualitative research on migration-related phenomena, rather than being an obstacle, actually contributes to the enhancement of emancipatory action, social critique and reality-grounded ethical commitments.
