Abstract

This chapter examines major migrations and refugee movements in South Asia. Taking into account the principal drivers of voluntary and forced migration, it looks in particular at trends in labor migration, the migration of high-skilled workers, the feminization of migration, forced displacement, and the implications of refugee movements for states and societies in the region. It considers the role of regional rivalries and geopolitical conflicts in fueling political violence and also obstructing multilateral solutions to common problems. As the chapter shows, migration cuts across domestic politics and foreign policy, and is best understood in relation to broader political and economic trends as well as questions of citizenship and national identity.