Journal of Migration History

Abstract Although most people in the past lived in agrarian communities, premodern rural migration has long been a neglected subject within the field of migration history. The aim of this study is to enhance our knowledge of rural household migration in premodern Europe. It is based on the Älvsborg lösen taxation records, in which household migration data was registered for the Swedish population during a five-year period at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The study focuses on rural household migration rates, distances and destinations. It shows that 5 per cent of rural households in Sweden moved annually, with about two-thirds of these being ‘local’ migrants, which is consistent with what has previously been reported for other European regions. Migration was consequentially not only part of the life-course of most individuals, but also of great importance for the rural economy and societies in premodern Europe.

Martin Andersson

Rural Migration in Premodern Europe: Sweden, 1613–1618

前现代欧洲的农村移民：瑞典，1613-1618年

Abstract Migration is a fundamental but often neglected chapter in the history of European peasant societies. Knowledge of migration in Medieval and Early Modern rural Europe adds significantly to our understanding of phenomena as diverse as serfdom, the land market, social stratification, the diffusion of agricultural practices, and responses to climate change. To advance this knowledge, we need to consult both documentary evidence and archaeological data, and study diverse parts of Europe. This special issue of the Journal of Migration History collects articles devoted to various aspects of mobility among peasants and its multiple meanings. Written by historians and archaeologists, they present a plethora of perspectives, methods, and approaches to the study of migration in the past. This introductory article describes the themes and scope of the articles. We argue for the importance of migration to peasant studies but also for the integration of peasant studies into mainstream migration history.

Tomáš Klír

Jonas Lindström

Introduction: Meanings of Mobility Among Peasants in Europe, 1300–1800

引言：1300-1800年间欧洲农民的流动性意义

Abstract This article focuses on migration strategies as exemplified by the Bohemian estate of České Budějovice in the second half of the eighteenth century. Formally, until 1781, the peasant population in Bohemia was bound by serfdom, which has until recently been believed to have considerably curtailed its mobility. The research in this article is based mainly on letters releasing people from serfdom and on registers of births, marriages and deaths. The article seeks to explain the migration strategies of the inhabitants of villages located near a major urban centre. It examines the migrants’ motivations and how they sought to migrate while complying with legal constraints. It devotes particular attention to work and marriage migration, and discusses migration strategies against the background of how Early Modern Bohemian society functioned.

Josef Grulich

Peasant Mobility and Migration Strategies in Early Modern South Bohemia

早期现代南波希米亚的农民流动与迁移策略

Abstract The seventeenth century saw a mass migration from the countryside to urban centres in Europe. Did migrants of rural origin integrate into their new communities, or did they form a subgroup in the town? This article is based on marriage, baptismal and burial records from the German and Danish Churches in Elsinore (Helsingør) between 1637 and 1660, and on municipal sources, mainly probate inventories and tax records. In the Early Modern period, Elsinore was the second-largest town in Denmark and the seat of the Sound Toll. This article presents a comparative analysis of the fate of rural and urban migrants in the town. The study found that rural migrants, and especially the women among them, faced lives of high mobility, poverty and limited social support, whereas urban migrants established more robust social networks and entered into more advantageous marriages.

Jette Linaa

The Fate of Rural Migrants in Early Modern Urban Centres: Soldiers, Servants, and Sailors

早期现代城市中心农村移民的命运：士兵、仆人和水手

Abstract The present paper explores the persistent and contentious issue of citizenship of the Chakma community in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chakmas were originally uprooted from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of former East Pakistan and were resettled in Arunachal Pradesh, formerly known as the North East Frontier Agency ( nefa ). The forced migration of the Chakma community has implications at different levels and raises critical questions about exclusion, belongingness, citizenship and the various rights which comes with it. The article explores the relationship between refugee identity and citizenship rights to see how this relationship is mediated through denial or extension of state entitlements. Examining the nature of citizenship within this context may help to further uncover how the concept of citizenship is both understood and used today.

Nawang Choden

Forced Migration and the Plight of the Chakma Refugees in Arunachal Pradesh: ‘Citizenship’ as a Bone of Contention

被迫迁移与阿鲁纳恰尔邦查克马难民的困境：“公民身份”成为争议焦点

Abstract This article explores the complexities of reintegration among formerly abducted women in Uganda, focusing on the dynamic emotional interactions between returnees and their communities. Through qualitative interviews and fieldwork, the research reveals that reintegration is a multifaceted social process that involves renegotiating identities and social roles. Despite the prevailing assumption that returning to one’s home community is the most effective path to reintegration, the article finds that many returnees face significant challenges in rebuilding social connections and overcoming stigma. Emotions such as fear, anger, and mistrust drive the behaviour of these returnees as they navigate the reintegration process, often resulting in feelings of isolation and desperation. The findings challenge the conventional ddr (Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration) approach, which emphasises returning to one’s original community for reintegration. Instead, they suggest that reintegration interventions should be flexible and tailored to individual circumstances, allowing returnees to explore alternative options for reintegration, including integrating into new environments.

Allen Kiconco

Returning from Rebel Captivity: Forced Marriage, Emotions and Reintegration in Uganda

从叛军手中归来：乌干达的强迫婚姻、情感与重新融入

Abstract Using an ethnographic method, this article goes into the enslavement and liberation struggles of four iconic Haratin women in Mauritania, exploring the intricate dynamics of slavery, gender, sexuality, migration and emotional norms. By examining these women’s experiences, the research sheds light on enduring social, legal, and personal practices in modern Mauritania where slavery and post-slavery categorisation is difficult to distinguish. The article examines emotional norms linked to institutional slavery, contrasting these with the transformative experiences of freedom encountered by these women. Ultimately, the aim is to illuminate the interconnected narratives of enslavement, migration and emotional experiences, offering insights into the struggles and triumphs of Haratin women in their pursuit of liberation in Mauritania.

Elhadj Ould Brahim

Humans at Last, Emotions at Least. Enslavement and Freedom Struggles of Four Iconic Haratin Women of Mauritania

人类终于，情感至少。毛里塔尼亚四位标志性哈拉廷女性的奴役与自由斗争

Abstract Intimate relationships are part of human life in all contexts. During forced migrations, those relationships and the emotions they entail, may prompt important decisions, may accompany difficult choices, and can be an opportunity for women to overcome extreme situations of poverty. In this article, I present a number of ethnographic cases describing options and opportunities related to intimate relationships women have undertaken during the exodus following the civil war in Somalia, which started in 1991. The way refugee women from a peasant background and allegedly descendant from enslaved people, have navigated intimate relationships in times of forced migrations, may be influenced by their poverty, or by the discriminatory legacy of their status as descendants from the formerly enslaved. Whatever the main factor determining their choices may be, intimate relationships represent major elements influencing decision making in migration paths.

Francesca Declich

Intimate Relationships and Forced Migration Paths: Dangerous Liaisons in Refugees’ Lives from East Africa?

亲密关系与被迫迁移路径：东非难民生活中的危险关系？

Abstract This article explores the Sahelian practice of separating young children from their birth parents for work-related purposes. This occurred in the 1970s in certain elite Tuareg contexts, when alternative livelihood options were scarce; its impact was still being felt in 2010. The practice involves mostly those born into the lowest status group ( iklan) , especially women. This research seeks to explain what the practice of child separation from parents is, how it is expressed, and how it has changed. With this aim, it analyses the link between this practice, ideas and assumptions about the family and close relationships through women, and collective female dance and music rituals. The article is based on qualitative research conducted in Niger between 1973–2010, a 2002 anti-slavery report, and court proceedings concerning separated children between 2003–2021.

Clare Oxby

‘Parents Unknown’. Separation and Loss in a Context of Repeated Work-Led Mobility (Tuareg iklan 1970–2021)

“父母未知”。在反复工作导向的流动背景下的分离与失落（图阿雷格伊克兰1970-2021）

Abstract This article discusses the ways in which forceful migration and humanitarian regulations in exile, have prompted redefinitions of gender roles and relations in Bellah families in the refugee camp of Abala, Niger. These include transformations in relations between the Bellah and their former masters, relations between Bellah men and women, and intergenerational relations between Bellah elders and children. The article proposes to view this development as a new sequence in the reformulations of the Bellah ’s family structures, relations, and household economy that began under colonial rule. By probing these complex processes of changes in Bellah family relations, this article places, simultaneously, the empirical focus of a study of gender relations on men and women and elders and youth. It departs from and supplements accounts in gender studies that focus either only on women or men, or else on intergenerational tensions among elderly men and youth. The analysis draws its influence from studies that conceive of gender as the very process of structuring subjectivities and social positionalities through the performances of certain roles.

Abbreviation	J. Migr. Hist.
Journal Impact	0.18
Quartiles(Global)	SOCIAL ISSUES(Q4)

Publication Information	Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: No
Basic data	Year of publication: 2015，Proportion of original research papers: 0.00%，Self Citation Rate:50.00%， Gold OA Rate: 22.00%

Journal of Migration History

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