Some Theoretical Guidelines toward a Sociology of Migration

Abstract

The question is beginning to be debated in the field of migration studies as to whether it is possible to formulate an explanatory theory general enough to cover the whole process of emigration and immigration. Charles Price thinks it is doubtful that we are ready for a general account couched in terms of formal theory (Australian Immigration: A Bibliography and Digest, 1966, p. A52). On the other hand, Everett S. Lee has attempted to present a general theory (“A Theory of Migration”, Demography, 3, 1966, p. 47–57). The following article by Mangalam and Schwarzweller takes a middle of the road position by formulating a middle-range theory of migration. This is a preliminary effort which other researchers will hopefully modify, clarify, and expand.