The book is the first comprehensive attempt to bring together work on migration issues in Ethiopia. Most articles were presented at a workshop on Settlement, Resettlement and Peace Making organized by the Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and Anthropologists and the United Nations Emergency Unit for Ethiopia.  

Worldwide theoretical perspectives are provided by international experts. The 1980s resettlement and planning for the new resettlement are reviewed, and additional contributions on the 2003 experience are included. Case studies deal with displacement of pastoralists and peasants as a result of development projects, establishment of parks, construction of dams, and urban expansion. A further section considers settlement refugees, returnees, displaced groups and demobilized soldiers. Experiences of peace-making to mitigate conflicts exacerbated by migration are discussed. The book argues that limited focus on resettlement should be broadened to consider voluntary migration as well as organized resettlement and to view spontaneous and forced migration within a common framework.