Introduction

As the world continues to become increasingly globalised, we are seeing a renewed interest in research on gender and migration. This introductory chapter to Migratory Men: Place, Transnationalism and Masculinities sets the conceptual foundation for how we understand the study of ‘migratory masculinities’ and how migration often leads to complex identity practices. In presenting the prominent themes in the research to date we highlight the role of economics, politics and social class in reshaping masculinities. We also draw attention to how scholars continue to foreground how migration is an affective experience where encounters with new spaces/places can often lead to negotiations between disempowerment and empowerment.