The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants
From the Silk Roads to the Berlin Wall, discover the globe-turning history of human migration. 

“Provides essential context to one of today’s most polarizing debates . . . engrossing and instructive—a must-read.”—Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group

We are a species in motion—from the first steps of Homo sapiens across Africa to America’s “melting pot.” And when we move—in search of better things, or against our will—our beliefs and skills clash and combine, reshaping society time and again.

In this visionary Shortest History of Migration, Ian Goldin uncovers key moments of cultural exchange while carefully examining empire, slavery, and war. Throughout, we meet famous explorers (Zheng He), exiles (Pablo Neruda), and everyday people in extraordinary circumstances: a Jewish man saved by the Kindertransport, a Japanese gardener who blossomed in Mexico City.

Today, freedom of movement is being curtailed, even as climate change and conflict mobilize people everywhere around the world. Goldin reminds us that passports at every border are a modern invention (he traces the “birth of big brother” to World War I), revealing the folly of trying to halt migration—and proposing commonsense policy instead. 

A gripping chronicle of want and wanderlust, this is a moving portrait of humanity—in every sense of the word.

The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

#1 Bestseller in Human Geography and Emigration & Immigration

1146304017
The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants
From the Silk Roads to the Berlin Wall, discover the globe-turning history of human migration. 

“Provides essential context to one of today’s most polarizing debates . . . engrossing and instructive—a must-read.”—Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group

We are a species in motion—from the first steps of Homo sapiens across Africa to America’s “melting pot.” And when we move—in search of better things, or against our will—our beliefs and skills clash and combine, reshaping society time and again.

In this visionary Shortest History of Migration, Ian Goldin uncovers key moments of cultural exchange while carefully examining empire, slavery, and war. Throughout, we meet famous explorers (Zheng He), exiles (Pablo Neruda), and everyday people in extraordinary circumstances: a Jewish man saved by the Kindertransport, a Japanese gardener who blossomed in Mexico City.

Today, freedom of movement is being curtailed, even as climate change and conflict mobilize people everywhere around the world. Goldin reminds us that passports at every border are a modern invention (he traces the “birth of big brother” to World War I), revealing the folly of trying to halt migration—and proposing commonsense policy instead. 

A gripping chronicle of want and wanderlust, this is a moving portrait of humanity—in every sense of the word.

The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

#1 Bestseller in Human Geography and Emigration & Immigration

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The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants

The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants

by Ian Goldin
The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants

The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move - From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants

by Ian Goldin

Paperback

$16.95 
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Overview

From the Silk Roads to the Berlin Wall, discover the globe-turning history of human migration. 

“Provides essential context to one of today’s most polarizing debates . . . engrossing and instructive—a must-read.”—Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group

We are a species in motion—from the first steps of Homo sapiens across Africa to America’s “melting pot.” And when we move—in search of better things, or against our will—our beliefs and skills clash and combine, reshaping society time and again.

In this visionary Shortest History of Migration, Ian Goldin uncovers key moments of cultural exchange while carefully examining empire, slavery, and war. Throughout, we meet famous explorers (Zheng He), exiles (Pablo Neruda), and everyday people in extraordinary circumstances: a Jewish man saved by the Kindertransport, a Japanese gardener who blossomed in Mexico City.

Today, freedom of movement is being curtailed, even as climate change and conflict mobilize people everywhere around the world. Goldin reminds us that passports at every border are a modern invention (he traces the “birth of big brother” to World War I), revealing the folly of trying to halt migration—and proposing commonsense policy instead. 

A gripping chronicle of want and wanderlust, this is a moving portrait of humanity—in every sense of the word.

The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

#1 Bestseller in Human Geography and Emigration & Immigration


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798893030600
Publisher: The Experiment
Publication date: 02/11/2025
Series: The Shortest History Series
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ian Goldin is the Oxford University Professor of Globalization and Development and founding director of the Oxford Martin School, the world’s leading center for interdisciplinary research into critical global challenges, where he has established forty-five research programs. Previously, he was vice president of the World Bank and its Head of Policy, responsible for its collaboration with the United Nations and key partners. He served as adviser to President Nelson Mandela, has been knighted by the French government, and is the author of three BBC series. Ian has been an advisor to numerous businesses, governments, and foundations and is a founding trustee of the International Center for Future Generations and Chair of the CORE Econ initiative to transform economics. He is the author of twenty-five books, including Age of the City, which was selected by the Financial Times as one of its best books of 2023.

Table of Contents

Preface
Timeline
Introduction

Part 1: The Shortest History of Migration

  1. The First Migrants
  2. Peopled Planet
  3. Empire and Trade
  4. Voyages of Discovery and Destruction
  5. Slavery
  6. Coercion and Control
  7. Age of Mass Migration
  8. Passports and Problems
  9. Wars, Mass Mobilization, and Expulsions
  10. Migrants in the Postwar World

Part 2: Migration Today and Tomorrow

  1. Who is a Migrant?
  2. Migration and the Economy
  3. Migration and Development
  4. The Future of Migration

Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Endnotes
Index
About the Author

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