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Feminism and Migration

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 1))

Abstract

Feminism and migration are, in fact, two of the most dynamic social movements since the nineteenth century (Ryan 1992; Massey et al. 1998; Walters 2005; Isaacs 2007; Koser 2007). Both have historically altered social relationships, communities, and nation-states. Feminism—circumscribed in the struggle for equal rights, social justice, and full participation of women (including LGBT) in society—continues to make inroads despite ongoing backlash and sustained conservative politics in the twenty-first century (Faludi 2006; Schreiber 2008). In the same manner, migration—in the context of global human flows caused by economic, political, and environmental factors—remains central to issues of national identity, citizenship, welfare, and security among receiving countries, particularly after 9/11 (Freilich and Guerette 2006; Bailey 2008; Bourbeau 2011). For example, immigration is a high political agenda in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Western Europe, and the United States (Cornelius et al. 2004). As Anthony Gooch (2009, p. 3) notes, “few phenomena have shaped human history as decisively as migration.”

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This refers to lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons.

  2. 2.

    This is an application of Simone de Beauvoir’s famous statement that “one is not born but is made a woman” (Evans 1998, p. 77).

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  1. Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

    Glenda Tibe Bonifacio Ph.D.

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    Glenda Tibe Bonifacio

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Bonifacio, G.T. (2012). Introduction. In: Bonifacio, G. (eds) Feminism and Migration. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2831-8_1

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