Towards a Comparative History of Migration and Membership in Southeast Europe (1500–1900)
Towards a Comparative History of Migration and Membership in Southeast Europe (1500–1900)

Summary/Abstract: This article is a plea for more rigorous and systematic comparisons of migration and settlement processes in general and in Southeast Europe in particular. Which definitions or typologies are helpful in such an exercise of course depends on the research questions. The three dominant approaches to migration (political, social-economic or cultural) all have their strengths and weaknesses, but focus on different aspects of the migration process. It is important that scholars be explicit in their choice of which to use. In principle these three approaches do not fundamentally distinguish between free and unfree, or labour versus refugee, migration. Unfortunately however, such dichotomies too easily lead to myopic and in the end unsatisfactory analyses. Without denying differences between forms and contexts of migration, such differences should first be charted and compared explicitly before jumping to conclusions.

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