Studying Migration from Different Perspectives and with Different Techniques

Migration can be considered a human strategy to improve life and can be defined as a natural behavior of human beings that has developed over time. The issue of migration is a particularly salient theme in this historical period and presents a new challenge for researchers in Europe and worldwide, particularly those researchers attempting to understand the patterns and processes of migration. Researchers of various disciplines have responded to the challenges related to migration using a variety of methodological tools to examine the phenomenon. In this chapter, the author presents qualitative techniques used in the social sciences and discusses their strengths and weaknesses when they are employed to study immigrant populations. Given the complexity of the migration phenomenon, the challenges that researchers must address include collaboration between disciplines and methodologies and the integration of methods. A multimethod, multilevel and multidisciplinary approach is used in an attempt to understand this multifaceted issue.