Mark Wyman

Return migration ‐ old story, new story

This article locates the phenomenon of return migration within a broader history of European and American experiences. It argues that by studying return migration we can perhaps better understand some apparent contradictions in the broader themes of migration history. For example, by considering the patterns of, and motivations for, return migration from America to Europe, we are able to probe why some countries were severely damaged both economically and socially by high emigration and why others were not. In considering such issues, this article draws heavily, but not exclusively, on the Scandinavian countries. The discussion that follows hopes to reinforce the notion, apparent from the history of the 1880–1930 era in Europe and America, that return migration was among those major influences that challenged and jarred traditional societies and produced the modern world we all inhabit.