Population mobility and indigenous peoples: the view from Australia

Abstract

This paper describes an emerging field of demographic enquiry focused on the population mobility of indigenous minorities in Australasia and North America. Political, scientific and policy rationales for research on the spatial dynamics of such groups are advanced as a prelude to a review of the Australian literature. This review is structured around four complementary perspectives on mobility: the propensity to move; spatial redistribution; flows and networks; and migration careers. Comparison of the relative strengths of mobility research on the indigenous and non-indigenous populations against these four perspectives assists in identifying outstanding research needs and priorities. Commonalities in the patterns and processes of indigenous mobility in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US suggest the value of more detailed cross-national comparisons, and also provide a basis for contemplating an indigenous variant of Zelinsky's hypothesised mobility transition.