Abstract
Carmon, N. (editor) ⋅ 1996
The tendency to migrate is a basic human characteristic. The origin of homo sapiens has not been ascertained beyond all doubt, but experts seem to agree that our species first made its appearance on the African continent and that it has been spreading over the planet ever since. The current dispersion of people around the world has been created through many small- and large-scale migration movements: raids, invasions, conquests, slave trade and colonization as well as pilgrimage and settlement beyond frontier areas.
Throughout human history, migration movements have created problems and conflicts that have studied by social scientists. Now, when we are entering a new stage in human history, the new post-industrial era, this chapter is intended to initiate discussion of the issues of migration in the context of a young, yet largely unfamiliar age. The chapter opens with a characterization of the new era, continues with quantitative and qualitative analyses of the economic, social and cultural aspects of immigration and integration and ends with a question: will the present economic globalization be followed by immigration-driven social globalization in post-industrial societies?
