Great Migration Research Articles

The Geography of Hate: The Great Migration through Small-Town America by Jennifer Sdunzik (review)

The Geography of Hate: The Great Migration through Small-Town America by Jennifer Sdunzik (review)

“The Problem Alike of Statesman, Race Leader, and Philanthropist”: Economic Thinking and the Division of Negro Economics

In 1917, the US Department of Labor launched a new section: the Division of Negro Economics (DNE). Established to study black labor in the context of the Great Migration and staffed completely by black social scientists and social workers, the division offers a window onto the origins and meaning of black economics in the United States. During an age of pervasive scientific racism, the division’s leaders leveraged the language and tools of academic economics to assert black Americans' fundamental humanity, particularly by rendering black migrants as economic agents. The history of the division reveals how black economic thinkers made the economic study of the Great Migration into an egalitarian intellectual project, even if they could not escape institutional bias and prejudice. It stands as a lesson on the potential of economics, both as a tool of oppression and as one of political claims-making.

Revisiting the urban home: A critical approach

We argue here for a more political concept of the home as the space that distinctively enables people to participate in public life by promoting civic orientations we call “resistance” and “yearning.” Because the political potential of home is most keenly experienced in cities, with their complex interplay of private and public spaces on very different scales (house, neighborhood, city), we present the urban home as a model for such politics. Our critical approach is in four parts. First, we reveal three patterns of thought in urban studies that lead scholars to examine housing while rendering the home an apolitical space. Second, we diagram how literary texts fruitfully challenge these patterns of thought in urban studies with their lavish attention to such specific home experiences. These literary descriptions suggest a fundamental politics of the urban home that we elaborate with the help of feminist recuperations of the home by Iris Marion Young, bell hooks, Doreen Massey and others. Third, we offer a more detailed empirical analysis of select texts associated with the “Great Migration” in the U.S. to illuminate this politics, particularly its fundamental orientations of resistance and yearning. To conclude, we propose an interdisciplinary agenda in urban studies that evades conceptual traps to politicize an otherwise neglected space: the urban home.

A geographic and social profile of Italy's great migration (1876–1913)

AbstractThis article sheds light on Italian emigration flows with a focus on their geographical origins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that is, during the so‐called Great Migration. Annual province‐level data on Italian emigration are analysed in order to reconstruct the regional origins of emigrants, the factors motivating their decisions, their gender, and their literacy levels. The regions generating the largest population outflows were located in the North of the country. Despite the literature's focus on the Italian south diaspora to the US, the main destinations of Italian emigration in this period were other European countries. Explanations focusing on economic factors as emigration drivers prove weak. The provinces generating the greatest outflows do not appear to share any characteristics nor obey any underlying pattern: some tentative explanations concerning provinces of origin will be offered. Data relating to the emigration of women and children point to the central role of nuclear families, displaying a higher rate of growth compared to overall emigration, with peaks during the migration booms to Latin America (1890s) and the United States (1905–1907). No obvious connection emerges between emigrant outflow size and literacy levels: people migrated from the literate North as well as from the more impoverished regions featuring much lower literacy levels.

Practical Radicalism and the Great Migration: The Cultural Geography of the Scott Newspaper Syndicate by Thomas Aiello (review)

Practical Radicalism and the Great Migration: The Cultural Geography of the Scott Newspaper Syndicate by Thomas Aiello (review)

A készülő Dunántúli történeti családnévtárról

This paper aims to present the Database of the Historical Surnames of Transdanubia in its current state. This database showcases new, innovative trends in onomastics that ensure the versatile, interdisciplinary usability of linguistic resources. The database is designed to facilitate the geographical and typological analysis of the family names of the Carpathian Basin in the second half of the eighteenth century, with a particular emphasis on functional-motivationalaspects. It also aims to explore the linguistic and onomastic consequences of the great migration waves of that century. The data originate from the name tables of the 1767-1774 tax unification of Maria Theresa and complement the material of the Atlas of Historical Surnames of Hungary, which shows the situation before the migration processes with data from the beginning of the century. The second half of the paper presents an analysis of the Hungarian and German family name data from Győr County in the Database of the Historical Surnames of Transdanubia and of the entire Hungarian family name data and the German family name data from the Transylvanian Saxon territories in the Atlas of Historical Surnames of Hungary. This analysis reveals the similarities and differences between the name stocks, emphasising routinised name patterns and their socio-cultural and historical background.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital After Migration and During the Pandemic (2019-2022).

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic skin disease transmitted by the bite of sandflies. In our region, which is endemic for this disease, there has been a great migration from a much more endemic region and population movements from our area to Türkiye and abroad. Afterward, a pandemic was experienced. Due to these two extraordinary events and the possible epidemic potential in our region, it is useful to follow-up on the disease. We aimed to contribute to the evaluation of the disease in these processes by analyzing the data of our laboratory in recent years. Between January 2019 and December 2022, samples from patients who came to our laboratory with suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis were taken, stained and examined under a microscope. Patients were evaluated in terms of age, gender, nationality, place of residence, lesion site and duration. Out of the 144 examined cases, 64 (44.4%) were positive for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Among these positive cases, 40 (62.5%) were women, 24 (37.5%) were men, and 54 (84.3%) belonged to the 0-9 age group. Of those who tested positive, 54 (84.3%) were Turkish citizens and 23 (35.9%) were Syrian citizens. Fifty-four (84.3%) patients had only single lesion. While the number of applications and positivity rates remained within normal levels in 2019 and 2020, a significant decrease was observed in both from 2021 and 2022. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is carried by migration, decreases in large-scale isolations such as pandemics, and its spread can be prevented with correct diagnosis and treatment. Although the number of patients may change over time and place, cutaneous leishmaniasis is a disease that threatens the health of societies and should always be monitored.

Akberdino-3 – the Great Migration Period Manor in the Forest-Steppe Zone of Southern Pre-Urals

The present study is based on materials obtained during archaeological excavations at the Akberdino-3 site in 2009. The site is located on the right bank of the Belaya River in the forest-steppe zone of Southern Pre-Urals (modern Iglinsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan, 15 km southeast from the Ufa-city). It is shown that a single thin cultural layer of this small settlement site contains Imendyashevo, Turbasly ceramics, and ceramics with a mixture of both these traditions, and can be dated to the 4th century AD (most likely from the middle to the end of this period), but this manor existed for a very short time. The studied osteological sample was compared with data on 18 zooarchaeological samples from Southern Ural and bordering territories. Multivariate analysis of this dataset has shown that at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD there was a significant transformation in the composition of herd, held by local population.

Revisiting the Issue of Attribution of Some Catacomb Monuments Groups from the South of Eastern Europe in the Late 3rd – early 5th Centuries

The catacomb funerary ritual had a widespread occurrence among the southern Eastern European population in late Roman times and at the beginning of the Great Migration Period. The Alan culture monuments of the 2nd – 4th centuries AD from the North Caucasus and the “Alans-Tanaites” nomadic culture of the late 3rd – 4th centuries AD feature the burial ritual most widely and vividly. Evidently, the migration occurred in a westerly direction from the “Alan-Tanaitian” culture area in the late 3rd century, resulting in the appearance of a group of under-kurgan burials in the steppe zone of the Dniester-Danube interfluve. It is possible that the people who left these kurgans in the 4th century were assimilated by the Chernyakhov culture bearers and switched to a sedentary lifestyle, having lost the kurgan funeral ritual (Belen’koe burial ground) but retained the catacomb burial structure of almost predominantly type II. The catacomb burials under the kurgans graphically feature the Alans-Tanaites fate after the encounter with the Huns, who defeated and subjugated the Alans-Tanaites, partly incorporating the vanquished population into their military and political union. The Alans-Tanaites took part in the campaign in Transcaucasia and Western Asia as part of the Hunnic army (395–398), as evidenced by the specific forms of the catacombs in the kurgans of the Palasa-Syrt burial ground from the Western Caspian region. A group of kurgan catacombs in the Middle Don and the Left Bank of the Dnieper features the partial outflow of the Alans-Tanaites from the Volga-Don steppes under the pressure of the Huns in the course of their expansion. A part of the Alans-Tanaites participated in the movement of the Huns to the west, as evidenced by the catacombs in the Budzhak steppe dating back to the last quarter of the 4th century.

EZH2 mutation is associated with the development of visceral metastasis by enhancing proliferation and invasion and inhibiting apoptosis in breast cancer cells

BackgroundThe prognosis of breast cancer patients with visceral metastasis (VM) is significantly worse than that of patients without VM. We aimed to evaluate EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) mutation as a biomarker associated with VM.MethodsData from forty-nine patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) pathologically confirmed at our hospital between March 2016 and September 2018 were collected. Metastatic tissue samples were obtained via ultrasound-guided needle biopsy, and paired peripheral blood samples were also collected. Tissue and blood samples were subjected to targeted next-generation sequencing via a 247-gene panel. Stably transfected MDA-MB-231 cells expressing wild-type EZH2 (EZH2WT) or a mutant form of EZH2 (EZH2K515R) were generated. Cell proliferation, colony formation ability, migration and invasion abilities and apoptosis were assessed using CCK-8 assays, plate colony formation assays, Transwell chamber assays and flow cytometry.ResultsThe incidence of EZH2 mutations in the VM subgroup was greater than that in the non-VM subgroup in the entire cohort (n = 49, 42.3% vs. 13.0%, p = 0.024) and in the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subgroup (n = 20, 50.0% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.05). Patients carrying EZH2 mutations had a significantly greater risk of developing VM than did those in the non-EZH2 mutation group in the entire cohort (HR 2.9) and in the TNBC subgroup (HR 6.45). Multivariate analysis revealed that EZH2 mutation was an independent prognostic factor for VM (HR 2.99, p = 0.009) in the entire cohort and in the TNBC subgroup (HR 10.1, p = 0.006). Data from cBioPortal also showed that patients with EZH2 mutations had a significantly greater risk of developing VM (HR 3.1), and the time to develop VM was significantly earlier in the EZH2 mutation group (31.5 months vs. 109.7 months, p = 0.008). Multivariate analysis revealed that EZH2 mutation (HR 2.73, p = 0.026) was an independent factor for VM after breast cancer surgery. There was no correlation between EZH2 mutations and BRCA1/2 mutations. Most of the patients (81.8%) in our cohort who developed VM carried the “c.1544A > G (p.K515R)” mutation. Compared with EZH2WT MDA-MB-231 cells, EZH2K515R MDA-MB-231 cells had greater colony formation rates (p < 0.01), greater migration and invasion rates (p < 0.001), and lower apoptosis rates (p < 0.01). The proportion of S + G2/M phase cells in the EZH2K515R group was significantly greater than that in the EZH2WT group.ConclusionsEZH2 mutation is associated with VM development in breast cancer patients. The EZH2K515R mutation leads to VM and a poor prognosis by enhancing proliferation and invasion and inhibiting apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

The history of the great migration: Movement to the urban north (1916-1970) and its cultural, social, and political impact

The main purpose of the article is to conduct a historical analysis of the extensive migration that took place during 1916-1970. The object of the study is the cultural, social and political effect of this phenomenon. The methodology of the study involves the use of historical analysis methods, methods of systematization of available historical information, the method of expert analysis, the method of hierarchical analysis and the method of pair comparison. As a result of the study, key cultural, social and political factors that influenced the process of formation of large migration in the period 1916-1970 were identified through the conducted expert historians. A model of the hierarchical influence of these factors on the formation and development of migration processes is presented. The study has a limitation and takes into account only a specific period in history. At the same time, in further studies, a significant scientific emphasis should be placed on economic factors.

Collection of Roman Time and the Great Migration Period Artefacts from the Eastern Crimea

Collection of Roman Time and the Great Migration Period Artefacts from the Eastern Crimea

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Mother-Child Relationships in Little Fires Everywhere: The Influence of Race and Social Class

Since the Great Migration in 1910, millions of African-Americans moved to Northern, Western, and Midwestern cities, prompting White flight to the suburbs in search of a racially homogeneous utopia. These suburban areas, rooted in discrimination, have a history of systemic racism. Little Fires Everywhere (2020), a Hulu mini-series based on Celeste Ng’s novel, explores these dynamics in a Midwestern suburb. Previous studies have linked race and class to motherhood in the series, revealing that racism often intertwines with structural disparities between ethnic groups. This paper examines the mother-daughter conflicts in Little Fires Everywhere, arguing that these conflicts arise not only from racial structures but also from the specific societal norms of suburban life. Using Fairclough’s (1989) three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model, this study uncovers the ideologies embedded in dialogue, the power relations produced through language, and how these elements shape relationships. The analysis reveals that racial identities and social class significantly impact mother-daughter dynamics. The Richardsons’ conservative, upper-class status fosters a superficial and strained relationship, while the Warrens’ financial struggles lead to dissatisfaction and dishonesty. The study highlights how language in the series reflects and reinforces power dynamics, influencing the characters’ relationships.

The First Migrants: How Black Homesteaders’ Quest for Land and Freedom Heralded America’s Great Migration by Richard Edwards and Jacob K. Friefeld (review)

The First Migrants: How Black Homesteaders’ Quest for Land and Freedom Heralded America’s Great Migration by Richard Edwards and Jacob K. Friefeld (review)

North to Boston: Life Histories from the Black Great Migration in New England by Blake Gumprecht (review)

North to Boston: Life Histories from the Black Great Migration in New England by Blake Gumprecht (review)

Black Bottom and Paradise Valley: The Intersection of Race, Class, and Memory in Twentieth Century Detroit

The Black Bottom community of Detroit, Michigan became an ethnic hub for African American’s due to the Great Migration of the early twentieth century. This was a vibrant community composed of a heterogeneous population from various backgrounds and social classes, though faced with ongoing issues regarding sanitary and housing conditions due to entrenched racial segregation within the city. By 1936, the neighbourhood was split by middle class entrepreneurs who wished to raise the cultural prominence of the community’s entertainment district. This research analyzes the intra-class relations that caused the fracturing of two communities: Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. Moreover, this work refutes historical debates, which wish to concretely bind these entities as separate. Through an overview of Detroit’s history, the memory of the community is assessed effectively creating an intersectional analysis encompassing African American intra-class relations, culture, the fluidity of space, and collective memory.

Seeing change in seafood: examining impacts of globalization and climate change on mid-atlantic black american foodways

ABSTRACT Foodways develop as human communities adapt to changing geographic, environmental, and economic circumstances. In this paper, we examine seafood foodways in an urban Black American community in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and place those foodways in the context of two northward migrations. The first is the Great Migration, one of the largest human migration events ever—when Black Americans emigrated from the southern United States during the middle of the twentieth century. The second is the more recent and ongoing northward range shifts of marine species along the eastern United States seaboard related to climate change. As fish species continue to move north, availability of culturally familiar seafood species in the region is changing. We use interviews to characterize the culture of seafood consumption among Black residents of Philadelphia, descendants of those that came during the Great Migration. In parallel, we draw upon Atlantic fisheries data, to examine the case of whiting (Merluccius bilinearis), documenting the simultaneous changing abundance and catch of this species over the last two decades. This study illuminates challenges that both globalization and climate change pose for food systems and foodways. Keywords: fish, foodways, Merluccius bilinearis, Philadelphia, silver hake, silver trout, whiting

The economics behind Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series

In the early 1940s, Black artist Jacob Lawrence painted a series of 60 panels that are now collectively called The Migration Series. The panels tell the story of how Black Americans migrated from the South to the North, beginning with World War I. The panels provide an uncommon example of the intersection of economics, Black American history, and art that can be used in a variety of economics classes. The artist and the subject allow instructors to easily address diversity and inclusion in their classrooms. This article’s author provides background on Jacob Lawrence and the Great Migration and insights into the economics found in the panels themselves. Finally, suggestions on how to use The Migration Series in a variety of classes are discussed.

The Great Migration and Educational Opportunity

This paper studies the impact of the First Great Migration on children. We use the complete-count 1940 census to estimate selection-corrected place effects on education for children of Black migrants. On average, Black children gained 0.8 years of schooling (12 percent) by moving from the South to the North. Many counties that had the strongest positive impacts on children during the 1940s offer relatively poor opportunities for Black youth today. Opportunities for Black children were greater in places with more schooling investment, stronger labor market opportunities for Black adults, more social capital, and less crime. (JEL H75, I26, J13, J15, J24, N32, N92)

The Missionary Movement from the West: A Biography from Birth to Old Age

This review of the first posthumous volume by the late Andrew Walls, The Missionary Movement from the West: A Biography from Birth to Old Age, focuses on his account of the background, motives, progress, and theology of the missionary movement from the West and the unanticipated consequence of Christianity’s decline in the West and growth elsewhere. The golden thread Walls seeks to untangle is how and why Christianity, as in its inception, had once again become a non-Western religion by the end of the twentieth century. He portrays the missionary movement as a “despised, semidetached appendix” within the larger framework of European Christendom and its Great Migration and shows how missionaries played a significant role in the unforeseen shift of Christianity’s center from the Global North to the Global South.