The household as a unit of analysis: reflections from migration research in Nepal

Abstract

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 99: 101–111, 1999

The main objective of this paper is to discuss the importance of looking at households as basic analytical categories in studies of migration in the Third World. The paper points to the difficulties of defining the household, and in particular the assumption that the household can be treated as a strategic decision making unit, is challenged. The importance of taking a critical stand towards the household, as the basic analytical category, is illustrated by the results from research into the migration trajectories of Hill migrants settled in the Terai region of Nepal. It will be demonstrated how previous research has overlooked the importance of the split-up of extended households in relation to the migration and settlement process. It is concluded that future studies should continue to consider households as important elements in migration and settlement pro- cesses, however, they should be treated with many more analytical precautions.

Keywords:

• Nepal
• migration and settlement
• micro-level perspective
• households
• methodology