Connotations of Migration in the Discourse of Interdisciplinarity

This article explores the potentialities of interdisciplinary studies of migration. It identifies both unifying and particular markers in the connotation of its various forms. Migration often serves as a “cause for scientific concern”; scholars, when investigating this phenomenon, typically exhibit varying degrees of anxiety. Nevertheless, migration routes – whether in natural ecosystems, living organisms, or social structures – can attain a relative stability and permanence; consequently, “well-trodden” routes cause less concern. Furthermore, it is observed that return migration is traditionally (archetypically) perceived as the optimal travel trajectory. Modern sociologists also tend to describe return migration as less risky. However, in everyday consciousness, alternative connotations of the phenomenon of return may emerge. For instance, when migration is initially conceived as unidirectional and irreversible (such as relocating from a province to the capital), an alternate outcome may be evaluated as a failure. Conversely, if migration – such as pendulum migration (commuting from suburban areas to work and back) – is understood as return-based, the adoption of initial positions is perceived positively.