Cities in motion: mobility, migration selectivity and demographic change in Belgian cities, 1846-1910

This chapter aims to explore the impact of migration and mobility on the growth and composition of urban populations in different Belgian cities between 1846 and 1910. By comparing the relative contributions of native-born residents, internal migrants (moving within Belgium) and particularly foreign migrants (born abroad) to demographic developments, the chapter aims to identify more clearly their relative weight in the changing urban populations of the nineteenth century. The overall aim of this chapter is to highlight the dissimilar behaviour of migrant groups in different urban settings, and to highlight how this resulted in a varied landscape in which the relationship between cities and migrants differed markedly according to local context. It argues that increasing turnover rather than simple immigration was the main defining characteristic of the urban migration experience in the second half of the long nineteenth century. This trend towards increasing mobility and turnover went hand in hand with a diversification in migrant background and the growing participation of women in urban migration.

ISBN:978-2-503-58868-1

Publication year:2020

Keywords:H1 Book chapter

BOF-keylabel:yes

Accessibility:Closed