Showing papers on "Circular migration published in 1977"

The impact of population patterns and cash-cropping on urban migration in the New Hebrides

Abstract: In fact experience shows that even if the same processes of acculturation of the development of a plantation economy or of growth in the demographic burden cause the same problems they do not systematically give rise to the same migratory reflexes in all island settings. In some islands strong migratory currents develop and grow which the island society can no longer keep under control; in others where racial cohesion has remained strong the migratory flow stays at a reasonable level in relation both to the number of departures and to length of stay. Certain island "situations" then show themselves to be more favourable than others to the development of migration to town and to progressive transformation of circular migration into "wild migration" of the rural exodus type. In another paper I noted that circular migration of the traditional type is linked with a stage at which the number of migrants is relatively limited; for example when they do not make up more than 10% of the total resident population of the island. Over this numerical threshold traditional migration is really overwhelmed; it becomes "wild" or uncontrolled--in other words without rules--and evolves towards migration of the rural exodus type such as is seen in the large towns of the Asian or African Third World. In the latter case the migrants settle permanently in town and break with the traditional world from which they come. My purpose is to try to explain the "upsteam" aspect of the movement that is the point of origin and the changes which have affected island society and agrarian systems. This may be considered as an investigation of the situations which are favourable for urban migration within the particular setting of an oceanic archipelago. (excerpt)