Migration in the past and present

Migration in the past and present

1. Migration in the past

   • Mobility is a human’s characteristic. With the discovery of agriculture, the human groups were becoming sedentary. Since 8000 years before Christ until the beginning of the Christian Era, it is believed that the population went from 5 million to 250 million of habitants.

2. Migration and modernity

   • In modernity, in the 16th century, millions of people left Europe to conquer, almost always by force, new territories in America, Africa and Oceania. With the development of commercial relations, around 10 million people from Africa were violently displaced and subjected to slavery by the colonial system, mainly in America.

3. Globalization

   • At the end of the 20th century, migrations accelerated on the world in the middle of the crises of the capitalist system, which occurred with the introduction of neoliberalism in the framework of globalization. The migration of the business sector and highly qualified professionals from poor countries to First World countries was facilitated.

4. Migration in Latin American

   • The current population of Latin America is the result of several migrations that have taken place from the first settlements to the present. The conquest of America was related to large migratory processes of people from Europe and Africa. In general, people from all continents, countries and cultures have come, so Latin America is complexly diverse.

5. Types of migration

   • To better understand migrations, their types must be established. In this regard, there are several criteria. According to the places of destination, they are distinguished: internal migration when performed within from the same country and international migration when they happen from one country to another. These are called people in a situation of refuge.