Migration categories and the politics of labeling

Abstract

The chapter examines the complex and dynamic nature of migration categories and their role in shaping international migration governance. Categories are not easily changed and are often codified in laws and norms, perpetuating asymmetric power relations and certain ideas about categorized migrant groups. The chapter highlights that categories are central to migration debates, as they establish which types of migration are justified and constitute the distinction between unwanted and wanted migrants or legitimate and illegitimate forms of international mobility. The chapter provides a discussion of selected migrant categories, including high skilled/low skilled, regular/irregular, forced/voluntary, and vulnerable/non-vulnerable migrants, and assesses their analytical value in understanding migration governance. The chapter concludes by making a plea for the need for a reflexive approach to migration studies that recognizes the ambiguity and fuzziness of categories and their contested nature in shaping policy and practice.