Ethnic and Racial Studies: Journal Article Critique Assignment

Internal Code: MAS1296

Journal Article Critique Assignment:

Irregular migration in a globalizing world: Abstract: This introduction to the special issue ‘Irregular Migrants: Policy, Politics, Motives and Everyday Lives’ outlines the changing patterns of irregular migration at the end of the twentieth century and the start of the twenty- first century, explores the ways in which irregular migration has been analysed conceptually and empirically, highlights the contribution the volume as a whole makes to the literature in this domain and examines the key emergent themes from the papers in this volume. Finally, the paper concludes by suggesting gaps in our knowledge and areas for further research. Keywords: Irregular migration; undocumented migration; illegal migration; immigration policies; citizenship; membership. Introduction: At the start of the twenty-first century, irregular migration is a global and visible phenomenon. First, it occurs in most countries: it is estimated that in 2004, between 10 and 15 per cent of the world’s migrants were living in an irregular situation, which is equivalent to between 20 million and 30 million people (International Organization for Migration/ILO 2004; Koser 2010). Second, irregular migration has become a concern for different state and non-state actors. This includes governments who want to manage migration, human rights activists and campaigning organizations which focus on the lack of rights experienced by irregular migrants, employers who want to maintain access to ‘cheap’ and ‘compliant’ labour, travel companies and firms who are concerned by the prospect of sanctions for transporting people with the wrong or no documentation and irregular migrants themselves who try to survive despite their situation of vulnerability. Third, in several countries collective action among irregular migrants, to try and access rights, has made themmore visible. This special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies aims to outline the position of irregular migrants globally and to address some of the key conceptual debates about the context and challenges of irregular migration. We use the term ‘irregular migration’ to refer to people who do not have a residence status in the country in which they are residing. Task: Prepare a 500 Words Journal Article Critique Assignment.