CONTAGIOUS FUNCTIONS OF EXTERNAL MIGRATION PROCESSES: A SOCIAL-STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Social groups are considered an important criterion in formulating development strategies, taking into account the population’s social competencies, motivational mechanisms driving labor resource mobility, and differential and subordinational approaches, in addressing the pressing challenges facing the modern world. These factors are viewed as diverse social needs, subjective determinants, and potential opportunities that shape the level of social mobility characteristic of specific historical periods. However, contemporary sociology and migration studies emphasize the need to focus not only on their economic causes but also on their socio-reproductive and contagious functions in the analysis of migration processes. The contagious function extends external migration beyond the scope of an individual decision, presenting it as a systemic process closely interconnected with social structures. In this regard, external migration serves as a significant factor influencing the transformation of social mobility. Such sociological approaches provide opportunities for a systematic analysis of empirical evidence, a comprehensive understanding of the functional significance of migration processes, and an accurate illustration of the demographic profile of society within a particular historical period. Furthermore, they contribute to clarifying the retrospective foundations, stages, and accumulated experiences of the genesis of historical development in a generalized and coherent manner.