Editorial Introduction: ‘Placing’ Return Migration

Abstract

This introductory paper sets the agenda for the Special Issue on ‘Placing’ Return Migration. It stresses the key role of place in shaping return-migration imaginaries, processes and outcomes, including attention paid to the routes and temporalities of return. The paper foregrounds geographers' (and others') calls to ‘ground’ and ‘spatialise’ migration, with a particular focus on the limited literature on the roles of place and space in return migration. Typologies and examples of place-based itineraries of return are set out. Finally, the editorial introduction presents an overview of the five papers in the Special Issue and indicates the potential for further research.