5.5 Migration and geographic terms

Language and terminology used to describe migration, the geographical movement of individuals or communities, can reflect xenophobic attitudes. Archivists should select terms and phrases that are specific, appropriate in terms of privacy, and that also avoid stigma. In line with the general rule, include immigration information with an appropriate level of detail and only when relevant to the records or biographical history. For example, consider the difference between indicating that an individual moved from a particular place vs. their immigration status itself. Select person-first terminology and avoid use in a way that portrays experience as an immigrant as a totalizing identity.

Be aware of and avoid Eurocentric bias when describing cultures and places. Adopt contemporary proper nouns for places and/ or nationalities (see section 8.6).¹ Some examples follow:

Instead of…	Consider…
Illegal alien	Undocumented individual
Economic migrant	Immigrated, immigrant, emigrated from
Ex-pat, expatriate [referring to only Western, predominantly white immigrants to Majority World countries]	Immigrated, immigrant, emigrated from [unless discussing ex-pats / ex-pat communities as a cultural phenomenon in themselves]
First- world, third-world	Be as specific as possible. Explore collective terms such as Global South or Majority World and consider appropriateness in context. Note that continued debate exists about the appropriateness of these terms as well.
Africa / Asia [treated as a single, homogeneous region], Old World / New World	Specific country / countries / region
Middle East, Arab countries, Muslim countries, MENA, West Asia	Use caution with regional, ethnic, linguistic, or religious groupings. Ensure precision when possible (e.g. specific countries) and correct usage of term in context.
Burma / New Zealand	Myanmar / Aotearoa New Zealand

When referencing contested geographic regions or occupied states, archivists invariably express their political beliefs through description. The concept of maintaining neutrality in description does not necessarily fulfill desired equity outcomes. Take care to use as specific a term as possible with an awareness of how inclusion or exclusion of a term may express bias or impact a researcher’s ability to surface records. Consider how international bodies, such as the UN, recognize a state, while also keeping in mind the power dynamics at play within this type of institutionalized recognition. Note the region’s disputed status and ensure there is reference to how it is referred to within the records.

Instead of…	Consider…
Rodriguez worked in Jerusalem and Palestine.	Rodriquez worked in Jerusalem, Gaza City, and Hebron. Rodriquez refers to Gaza and Hebron as part of Palestine and refers specifically to Jerusalem without indicating the city’s political status as either part of Israel or Palestine.
He conducted environmental analyses of the mountainous regions of Chinese Taipei.	He conducted environmental analyses of the mountainous regions of Taiwan. While Rogers refers to Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China, the region’s political status continues to be contested.

Additional resource:

International Centre for Migration Policy Development. “Reporting Migration: A Handbook on Migration Reporting for Journalists,” 2021. https://www.icmpd.org/file/download/50559/file/Handbook0on0Reporting0Migration0EN.pdf

---

Endnotes

1. There are legal and social definitions to several terms related to migration. To ensure you are using the appropriate term (e.g. refugee vs migrant vs asylum seeker), refer to resources such as pages 6-8 of Nguyen, Vinh, and Thy Phu, eds. Refugee States : Critical Refugee Studies in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2021. ↩