How Have the Children of Migrant People Been Researched From Social Work? A Bibliometric Analysis of the Thematic and Intellectual Structure

Abstract

In a world where millions of children and young people grow up at the intersection of multiple symbolic, geographical and affective borders, developing knowledge that is informed, rigorous and humanly sensitive becomes essential. By mapping the current state of knowledge on sons and daughters of migrant people, the present study not only seeks to systematize the development of this field, but also to inform theoretical frameworks for more inclusive policies and interventions targeting children and youth who inherit migratory trajectories in increasingly diverse and challenging contexts. This article presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the international scientific literature in this field, with a specific focus on its contributions to the Social Sciences and more specifically to Social Work. A corpus of 1,360 publications indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, covering multiple world regions in line with the scope and structural coverage of these databases, along with their respective metadata, was analysed by applying bibliometric techniques combined with the initial screening and eligibility guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). The analysis examines thematic evolution, emerging trends and collaboration networks, among others. The results reveal exponential growth since the year 2000, accompanied by a shift from assimilationist approaches to intersectional, structural and decolonial perspectives. Consolidated topics are identified—such as social mobility, identity and education—alongside emerging lines of inquiry focused on racialisation, mental health and bilingualism, while conceptual gaps are also highlighted, such as the limited presence of the Global South and of more socio-critical methodologies. This work provides both an empirical and theoretical foundation for strengthening socially situated, culturally competent interventions committed to ethnoracial justice.