This book throws new light on the drivers of migration and explores the different ways in which aspiration and desire are involved in the generation, experiences, and outcomes of migration. The authors propose novel approaches to advancing collective understanding of migration, including reassessments of classical push and pull theory; explorations of the lexicon of aspiration, desire and voluntariness in migration; and reflections on the relationships between migration and modernity, youth and expectation, and anti-immigrant discourses. The chapters have a broad geographical scope, spanning migration on different continents and in diverse socio-economic and cultural settings. At a time when migration has become one of the most prominent areas of national and international political debate, this volume provides the tools for researchers to reconsider how we understand the forces and outcomes of global mobility. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies .