If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Did you know that the long-held belief that humans are a naturally stationary species is actually a scientific myth?
- Have you ever wondered why human migration patterns are strikingly similar to those of other migratory species across the globe?
- What if the borders and walls we build today are actually rooted in forgotten, centuries-old prejudices rather than modern necessity?
Listen to The Next Great Migration — Free Audiobook
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Key Takeaways from The Next Great Migration
- Discover how migration is an integral, natural process for all life on Earth, despite modern political attempts to criminalize and restrict human movement.
- Learn how the myth of a sedentary natural world persisted for centuries until World War II radar technology accidentally proved that birds migrate vast distances.
- Understand how the renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus planted the seeds of modern racism by falsely classifying humans into isolated subspecies to justify European colonization.
- Find out why prominent early twentieth-century Americans championed eugenics to spread anti-immigration ideologies and halt the cultural melting pot.
- Explore the necessity of creating safer migration practices, including establishing wildlife corridors that allow migratory species to safely navigate our modern, developed world.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from The Next Great Migration
Mind Map
The Next Great Migration
The Myth of a Sedentary World
Historical Misconceptions
Scientific Discovery
Pseudoscientific Roots of Racism
Linnaean Taxonomy
American Eugenics
Xenophobia in Ecology
Fear of Invasive Species
Ecological Reality
The Overpopulation Fallacy
Malthusian Panic
Tragic Consequences
DNA Evidence of Human Migration
Genetic Unity
Constant Movement
The Modern Refugee Backlash
Reactionary Politics
Media Exaggeration
Designing a Future of Safe Migration
Wildlife Corridors
Human Borders
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 9
Why did eighteenth-century European naturalists like Carl Linnaeus initially believe that animals and plants were sedentary?
The Next Great Migration — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: For a long time, people failed to truly grasp that nature is always on the move.
Chapter 3: Carl Linnaeus entrenched racist ideas about human origins worldwide.
Chapter 4: In the U.S., two eugenicists promoted a racist, anti-immigration ideology.
Chapter 5: Anti-immigration sentiment also targeted nature.
Chapter 6: Malthusian fears of overpopulation fueled nativism and grave human rights abuses.
Chapter 7: DNA shows humans are closely related and have always been natural migrants.
Chapter 8: The refugee crisis sparked a reactionary backlash built on lies and exaggeration.
Chapter 9: Migration, for nature and humanity alike, can and should be made safe.
The Next Great Migration Summary & Overview
The Next Great Migration (2020) reveals how humans have always moved across oceans and continents, just like any other migratory species on Earth. Sonia Shah upends the notion that we’ve ever been a stationary species. She also demonstrates how racist and xenophobic belief systems have led us to erect artificial borders and walls.
Who Should Listen to The Next Great Migration?
- Anyone interested in the history, present, and future of migration
- Campaigners against racism and discriminatory borders
- Ecologists, biologists, and naturalists looking for a more holistic view of the world
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