Global Migration

A remarkably vivid, well-researched, and often impassioned approach to one of the most important social issues of our time. Collier and Strain artfully combine stories, analysis, and insights from the Catholic social justice tradition to illuminate the experiences of the millions of men, women, and children whose lives and struggles often remain untold or unappreciated. A must for anyone who seeks to understand their brother and sister the refugee, the migrant, and the displaced person.

“As the world deals with more refugees than any other generation in human history, Global Migration: What’s Happening, Why, and a Just Response, by Elizabeth Collier and Charles Strain, is an invaluable resource for foundational information, human formation, and social transformation. Blending facts with stories, programs with policies, and critical reasoning with ethical principles, Collier and Strain offer not only an important overview of the subject of migration but also a valuable ‘underview’ of society’s most vulnerable members. The authors remind us that migration is not the central problem but rather the symptom of deeper imbalances like war, poverty, human rights violations, and climate change, all of which uproot people and cause them to move. The authors also challenge us to move beyond incendiary debates to the central moral issues, reminding us that the moral wealth of a country begins with reflecting on how it treats its most vulnerable members. In bringing out the humanity of the immigrant, Collier and Strain call us to reflect on our own humanity: Who we are before God, who we are in this journey of life, and who we are in response to our neighbor in need.”

“In Elizabeth Collier and Charles Strain’s Global Migration: What’s Happening, Why, and a Just Response, the authors bring together key theological and ethical resources to analyze a most urgent sign of our times. Their valuable discussion of the complex factors driving and confronting people on the move today is brought to life with compelling case studies from Catholic Relief Services fieldwork. The authors skillfully illuminate Christian witness from biblical texts through Catholic social teaching to lived responses throughout the volume. The authors also underscore the critical need to understand root causes and contexts of migration, not just its symptoms. They helpfully show how fear and misunderstanding can distort immigration debates and prevent genuine encounter. The book’s ‘see-judge-act’ framework guides readers from clear perception to moral analysis to a range of innovative responses. As the topic of migration grows ever more fraught, this book serves as an excellent resource for classrooms, immersion trips, parish-based discussion groups, or nonprofit organizations looking to probe the issue more deeply.”