Abdelmalek Sayad

Migration is one of the key concerns facing nations today, yet it is by no means a new social phenomenon; indeed, it is as old as humanity itself and is an integral part of every human society. Throughout history, individual people have moved and taken with them their culture, values, knowledge and skills, transforming both their societies of origin and those of destination. Migration, in its most basic definition, involves leaving one’s original living environment to settle in another. Furthermore, this social phenomenon encompasses a plethora of trajectories: it may be temporary or permanent, voluntary or forced, sudden or gradual, spontaneous or organised, individual or mass, and so on. These forms of migration have always existed throughout history.