Difference between migration and emigration.

In modern sciences and journalism, very similar terms are widespread - "migration" and "emigration". What do they mean?

What is migration?

The term “ migration ” has the most widespread use. It can be equally correctly understood:

  1. as a massive movement of the population from one place of residence to another - in sociology;
  2. as the movement of able-bodied citizens from one region to another - also in sociology, in labor law;
  3. as the movement of living organisms from one habitat to another - in biology;
  4. as an element of observation over seismograms - in geology;
  5. how the movement of chemical elements in the layers of the earth's crust - usually also in geology;
  6. as a transition of energy between particles - in physics;
  7. as the movement of capital between economic agents - in the economy.

It is difficult to say in which areas the term “migration” is used more often. If we talk about it in the context of the movement of citizens of one state to another country or part of the world, then it can be characterized by closeness to the concept of emigration. Let's consider its specifics in more detail.

What is emigration?

Under emigration means:

  1. a stable, long-term process of resettlement of citizens of one state to another (any specific or several different countries) - as a rule, to permanent residence;
  2. as a one-time event reflecting the movement of a particular citizen of a state to another country.

In the first sense, the term "emigration" in many contexts can be considered a synonym for migration, since the concept discussed in the article above generally denotes a process that goes on over time. This characteristic is close to large-scale, stable emigration from the country.

It should be noted that, expressed in the form of a process or single events, the arrival of foreign citizens to a particular state is immigration to it. It is the opposite of emigration. If a person, who once moved to another country, subsequently returns to his homeland, then he makes re-emigration.

The departure of people from one state to another can be due to both objective reasons - political, military, economic, and subjective factors. For example, religious, civilizational beliefs, cultural landmarks of a person.

In most cases, emigration is the result, as a rule, of a person's voluntary decision to move from his country to another. But sometimes it becomes forced - for example, due to political pressure exerted on a citizen within the state.

Emigration as a social phenomenon is usually studied by sociology, as well as a special science - migrationology.

Comparison

The main difference between migration and emigration lies in a much wider range of possible meanings of the first term. The second concept is used in a very narrow context and concerns only civil legal relations associated with the relocation of subjects of one state to another.

If the term “emigration” denotes a certain stable process - reflecting the massive, long-term resettlement of citizens of one state to another, then sometimes it can in a number of contexts correspond to the concept of migration and be denoted by this word.

It should be noted that usually migration is understood as a process that occurs under the influence of any strong or insurmountable factors. Such as, for example, the change of seasons and weather conditions that determine the migration of representatives of the fauna - for example, the migration of birds. Certain geological processes are a factor in seismic migration.

In turn, emigration (as a process or a one-time event) is usually conditioned, as we noted above, by a voluntary decision of a person or groups of people. But the movement of citizens of one country to others is often caused by a very serious crisis in it, which should also be viewed as an insurmountable factor. In this case, the resulting emigration can be called just the same migration - especially if it acquires a stable, long-term character.

Having determined what is the difference between migration and emigration, we reflect the conclusions in the table.

Table

Migration Emigration
What do they have in common?
Emigration as a stable process under the influence of strong factors can be called migration
What is the difference between them?
The term can be used in a variety of contextsThe term denotes a one-time or process expressed as a move of citizens of one state to another
Applicable in biology, physics, sociology, many other sciencesPractically not applicable in other sciences, except for sociology and migrationology
Often denotes a process, resulting from the influence of any factors, in some cases - insurmountableAs a rule, reflects the voluntary decision of citizens to move from their country to another
.