Marxist and non-marxist approaches to migration in tropical Africa

Gerold-Scheepers, J.F.A.; Binsbergen, W.M.J. van (1978)

Article / Letter to editor

In the more sophisticated studies on migration in tropical Africa aiming at explanation of migratory phenomena the major distinctions have been those between structural and methodological-individualist approaches, and, within the structural approach, between recent marxism on the one hand and structural-functionalism on the other, the latter having dominated the social-scientific study of African migration since the 1950s. The A's discuss the structural approach, in both its marxist and non-marxist versions, in the light of the question linking migration and rural development: does migration foster rural development by bringing about an optimal distribution of human resources, or, on the contrary, does migration constitute a drain on the labour and material resources of rural areas? They concentrate on anthropological and sociological studies. Sections: Introduction - The structural-functionalist approach - Marxist approaches - Conclusion. 

• West Africa
• Southern Africa
• migration
• literature reviews (form)

• All authors: Gerold-Scheepers, J.F.A.; Binsbergen, W.M.J. van
• Date: 1978
• Journal: African Perspectives
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 21 - 35