Introduction: Rethinking the International Organization for Migration

As the introduction to the special issue ‘Rethinking the International Organization for Migration’, this article reviews the growing literature on this organisation and contextualises the contributions of the special issue. It identifies five key topics in the research on this organisation. (1) Its history and transformation into a leading agency in the current global migration governance. (2) The ideological dimension of this transformation, with IOM’s expansion coming along with the emergence of specific worldviews about migration. (3) The ‘datafication’ of IOM and the central role of research, knowledge and information in its expansion. (4) The nexus between humanitarianism and security in the IOM’s activities. And (5) the questions pertaining to power and interest, in a context in which the IOM claims to work ‘in the interest of all’ while also serving the interests of specific governments. The conclusion analyses the political/epistemological issues underlying cooperation between researchers and IOM.