The emergence of a new research field or area of study in the social sciences always is fraught with controversy, fits and starts, theoretical, methodological, and even epistemological debates. Migration studies is no different, but some things are relatively unique about this ‘new’ field of study, while others are more conventional. Building on the 4th edition of Migration Theory: Talking Across Disciplines, edited by Caroline Brettell and James Hollifield, in this seminar Hollifield explores what is unique and conventional about the field, how research questions are framed, what are the key concepts and theories, and how can scholars of migration ‘talk across disciplines?’
