The History and Politics of Human Mobility

Abstract

This contribution reflects upon different aspects of human mobility throughout history as well as the way how they relate to politics. It briefly describes important moments in the European history of migration, including the periods of Antiquity, Middle Ages and the contemporary history. This paper argues that human mobility has been present through-out history and is a natural phenomenon. Since ancient times, large-scale migrations, mo-tivated in most cases by demographic developments and climatic changes, have substan-tially determined the shape of the contemporary world. The freedom of movement has been one of the important facets of societies throughout history. However, in the 20th cen-tury, with the rise of different kinds of freedoms, the freedom of movement has shrunk. The technology which accompanies mobility and restricts it is also something new. This article concludes by discussing the issue of human mobility and its relation to politics and takes into account the recent developments in the European Union.