HomeAges in Mobility: How Aging Shapes Migration and Vice Versa

Ages in Mobility: How Aging Shapes Migration and Vice Versa

Âges en mobilités : ce que le vieillissement fait aux migrations et vice-versa

Edades en movimiento: lo que el envejecimiento hace a las migraciones y viceversa

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Published on Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Abstract

This topical collection of the Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales explores the interactions between aging and migration, moving beyond demographic or economic approaches. We propose examining how migration shapes aging and, conversely, how aging shapes migration. We invite proposals that move beyond a Global North-centric perspective to interrogate migration through the prism of life courses, intergenerational relationships, and transnational ties, in both the North and the South. Three main themes will be prioritized: migration through the lens of aging; aging in countries of origin of migration; mobility and the relocation of care.

Announcement

Argumentation

Aging is a global demographic phenomenon that affects all countries, regardless of their measured aging levels. Its dynamics transform societies, challenge public policies, and reshape family strategies, including mobility. Migration studies have developed several fields to document and analyze the intersections of migration and aging, which can be grouped into three main areas.

Aging Migrants in Industrialized or Rentier Countries

Such studies focus on migrants who arrived in the Global North from the 1960s onward, particularly in the aftermath of post-colonial independence in their host countries (Dietzel-Papakyriakou, 2001 ; Attias-Donfut, 2006). Research explores intergenerational transmission of identities and moral values within migrant communities, as well as the relationships aging migrants maintain with transnational family members. These studies consider their living conditions, well-being, residential arrangements (Bond, 1990 ; Bolzman and Kaeser, 2012), and interactions with public and social administrations (Magliano and Mallimaci Barral, 2025 ; Mallimaci Barral and Magliano, 2023 ; Bolzman et al., 2004 ; Bolzmann and Vagni, 2015). Access to rights—such as residency permits and healthcare—has highlighted their isolation, reliance on national or municipal support systems, and potential long-term strategies for returning to their countries of origin, whether realized or not (Bolzman, 2013). Since the 1980s, aging migrants have increasingly adopted periodic returns to their places of origin, inspired by vacation models. Research shows that spending several months a year in their home countries serves a dual purpose : displaying economic success and strengthening intergenerational ties (Miranda, 1996 ; Charbit et al., 1997 ; Bolzman et al., 2004 ; Attias-Donfut et al., 2006 ; Corti, 2006).

Migration and the Aging of Non-Migrants : The Organization of Care

The mobility of retirees underscores the need to reexamine the role of elderly care in a neoliberal, globalized context. Most research has focused on women from the Global South migrating to the Global North to care for the elderly, emphasizing the transfer of sexual, affective, relational, and emotional capacities from South to North (Ehrenreich and Hochschild, 2003). Studies address various aspects, including : Care migration and global care chains, which raise fundamental questions about the organization of reproductive labor ; Migration as a means to finance local care, contributing to the emergence of a care market ; Transnational care, where migrant descendants provide remote support to aging relatives, or young migrants care for elderly family members (Bastia and Calsina, 2022 ; Stefoni et al., 2022 ; Destremau, 2025 ; Bolzman, 2018 ; Baldassar et al., 2007 ; Baldassar and Merla, 2014). The circulation of elderly individuals between the households of their migrant children, both to care for descendants and to receive care themselves.

“Privileged Retirement Migrations”, “Grandparent Migrations”, and Migrations Linked to Political Constraints

In recent years, we have witnessed the development of international retirement migration studies (Casado-Diaz and Warnes, 2004 ; Casarino, 2004 ; Savaş et al., 2023 ; Huber and O’Reilly, 2004), which examine the mobility of pensioners and the comparative evaluation of the advantages of retirement life projects in various possible locations (Cerase, 1974 ; Baykara-Krumme, 2013 ; Hunter, 2011 ; Klinthäll, 2006 ; Pino and Verde, 2006 ; Rodriguez et al., 2002 ; Lulle et al., 2025). Early research on these “privileged migrations” of retirees relied on a conceptual framework that highlighted their status as “resident tourists” (Torkington, 2010), emphasizing their membership in a certain social class, their individual freedom from family constraints, and their quest for an idyllic place to live a better life (Benson and O’Reilly, 2009). These mobilities, modeled after tourist practices, are tied to economic and national privileges (Cosquer et al., 2024), as shown by numerous studies conducted in France (Barou, 1994 ; Benson, 2011), Spain (Gustafson, 2008 ; O’Reilly, 2000), Mexico (Dixon et al., 2006), Morocco (Le Bigot, 2016 ; Pinel, 2021), and Italy (King et al., 2019). However, the acceleration of this phenomenon, the emergence of new destinations, and the broadening of social class membership now show that older individuals are also migrating in the hope of resolving or alleviating their social and financial difficulties (Bender et al., 2018). We also note research documenting mobility attempts by aging individuals in response to disruptive events in their country of residence, such as wars, economic crises, or, again, grandparents moving within a transnational space to temporarily or permanently join their children.

As suggested by King et al. (2021), it is now essential to integrate these fields of study. We hypothesize that these migratory configurations—structuring practices, strategies, and movements—can be considered together as responses to the aging of individuals and populations. While certain processes have been identified in one or another of these fields, their interconnections and complexities can offer renewed insights. Elderly’s mobilities intersect with migration policies, aging policies, health, and family dynamics, confirming the fluidity of migratory categories. Furthermore, examining migration from the perspective of retirement highlights the autonomy of older adults, whether they choose to emigrate, stay in their host country, return to their country of origin, or engage in back-and-forth movements. This challenges utilitarian views of migration, which often focus on the economic status of migrants and labor market issues.

From a theoretical standpoint, building on life-course mobility studies (Findlay et al., 2015 ; Wall and Bolzman, 2013)—which have primarily focused on young minors or wandering children—this topical collection aims to incorporate age into migration studies, particularly from the perspective of old age and aging. How does reaching an advanced age or exiting the formal workforce generate linear or circular mobilities, influence ongoing movements, or create temporal and spatial bifurcations ? How do mobility and transnationalism intersect with generational or age-based configurations ? What configurations emerge in terms of “transnational aging” (Horn et al., 2013) ? Finally, how do migrations contribute to transnational social reproduction, particularly when intertwined with care—such as when migrants care for elderly relatives (including those who remained behind, funded by remittances from those who left) or when elderly individuals care for their migrant children and grandchildren (Espiñeira González et al., 2025) ? How does aging reconfigure transnational domestic spheres or diasporic private spheres, in articulation with market processes (Merla and Baldassar, 2010) ?

Call for Papers and Themes

We propose exploring the multiple intersections between aging and migration through three thematic axes. Each axis will allow us to examine these phenomena from distinct perspectives while encouraging transversal approaches that are attentive to circulations, the temporalities of life courses, and the reconfigurations of intergenerational relationships in terms of age and gender dynamics.

Migration through the Lens of Aging

This theme invites a critical revisiting of the categories used to study aging in migration through ethnographic case studies. To what extent can demographic aging be considered a driver of mobility (return, retirement, care), where the search for employment, remittances, or protective legal status was previously the primary objective (as identified in migration studies from the 1970s-2000s) ? How does aging (or the prospect of end-of-life) challenge categories such as “return migration”, pendular migration, hesitant migration, or permanent migration ? Can we speak of “retirement migration” for former workers receiving pensions, regardless of whether they originate from the country of departure or arrival ? Can elderly individuals who follow their migrant children to care for their grandchildren (e.g., “swallow grandparents” or “caring grandparents”) be defined as migrants ? How should we consider elderly individuals who join their migrant children or grandchildren when conditions in their home country deteriorate (e.g., war, crisis) ? How does aging (or even the prospect of end-of-life) challenge the categories of “return” migrations, pendular migrations, hesitant migrations, or permanent migrations ? And how does the lens of gender help us understand this redeployment of intergenerational relationships, as well as the moral, emotional, familial, and filial cultures ?

Aging in Countries of Origin of migration

This theme explores how emigration affects aging in societies of origin. How does migration impact the aging of those who remain in the home country, as well as newcomers (retired, returnees), social fragmentation, and intra-generational inequalities ? How does aging shape the international mobility of individuals and families, and vice versa ? How do non-migrants age when their children have migrated and require care or presence ? How do relationships between migrant and non-migrant generations—and the distribution of inheritance—change with aging, widowhood, or the onset of chronic illnesses or degenerative conditions ? How does a gendered perspective help us understand the redeployment of intergenerational relationships and the moral and emotional cultures of family and filial ties ?

Mobilities and Relocation of Care

This theme examines how aging affects the “relocation of care” from the North to the South. “Care migration” connect the exploitation of natural and human resources and establish hierarchies and relations of domination that extend beyond the intimate sphere or economico-sexual exchanges : they also include the natural environment and health. Are we seeing a growing absorption of remittances into the care economy, the development of home-care employment sectors, or other needs and services related to aging ? Does the economic dynamism generated by the influx of retirees from the North help retain potential migrants in their home countries ? How do the care needs of the elderly lead to keeping a child or grandchild nearby to provide care in exchange for financial compensation from abroad ?

Submission Modalities

Abstract proposals may be written in French, English or Spanish, and should include the author’s name, affiliation, email address, a proposed title and an abstract (2,000-3,000 characters including spaces). They should clearly present a brief description of your research background in this field (thesis, fieldwork, publications, experience, etc.), a short description of the fieldwork and research methodology, and a formulation of hypotheses, arguments, and demonstrations aligned with the call for papers, linking to the overall topical collection. Proposals may come from any social science discipline or law and should be sent to remi[at]univ-poitiers.fr, anamallimaci[at]gmail.com, blandine.destremau[at]gmail.com and adelina.miranda[at]univ-poitiers.fr before July 1st, 2026.

Accepted papers can be written in French, English or Spanish.

For further details (standards, number of characters, presentation, etc.) : https://journals.openedition.org/remi/5849

Calendar

  • Start of the call : May 1st, 2026
  • Deadline to send abstracts and closure of the call : July 1st, 2026
  • Selection and decision : September 15, 2026
  • Deadline to send articles : February 1st, 2027
  • Peer-review
  • Deadline to send articles in their latest version : August 1st, 2027
  • Publication : December 2027

Selection Committee/Coordination

  • Ana Inés Mallimaci Barral, Sociologist, Researcher, National University of Arturo Jauretche, Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Laborales (CEIL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Blandine Destremau, Sociologist, Research Director, CNRS, Iris/EHESS, Paris, France ; Fellow of the French Collaborative Institute on Migration and Member of the Standing Committee on Families, Welfare, Care and the Life Course of the International Migration Research Network (IMISCOE)
  • Adelina Miranda, Anthropologist, Professor, University of Poitiers, CNRS, Migrinter, Poitiers, France ; Fellow of the French Collaborative Institute on Migration

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Date(s)

  • Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Keywords

  • migrations, vieillissement, retour, care

Information source

  • Audrey Montépini
    courriel : remi [at] univ-poitiers [dot] fr

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

« Ages in Mobility: How Aging Shapes Migration and Vice Versa », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, https://doi.org/10.58079/167jo

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