From emigration to immigration A study of the migratory routes of immigrants who arrived in France during the 1920s to 1970s

Abstract

This article underlines the migration of a population coming from the Mediterranean basin; that’s to say Maghreb ( Algeriansd,Moroccans,Tunisians),Southern Europe (Spanish,Italians,Portuguese) and Turkey ( Armenians, Turks) who had left their native countries due to economic and/or political reasons, with or without a labor contract and who had chosen to reach France during the 1920's to 1970's.The article also retraces the migratory itinerary of these men and men from the region of origin to the definitive  attachment point. It analyses the different geographical mobility forms and the causes that are at the origin. The study, therefore, shows that France is sometimes only the final stage of a migratory journey that began inside the country of origin or in a third country and that the spatial mobility observed is inherent to history of various migratory flows and to changes that France had witnessed all along the 20th century, owing to the development, chiefly of urbanization and industrialization.

Key words:  Emigration, immigration, spatial mobility, political refugees, illegal, France, Southern Europe, Maghreb.