Both contemporary and historical debates often consider migration to be a problem. Thus, they frequently overlook the socio-political innovation resulting from different forms of migration. As a result, the observation of history through the lens of migration not only expands the established state of knowledge, it also questions some fundamental historiographical assumptions. This panel will combine a historical perspective with the possibility of tackling very timely and pressing issues. It will discuss how migration generated socio-political innovation in various constellations. Socio-political innovation means the emergence, implementation and dissemination of new social and political practices in different areas of society. The conference aims to identify and analyze such societal transformations, which happen in relation to migration, and to explain their underlying conditions. Based on a wide meaning of ‘migration’, forms of internal as well as international mobility will be taken into consideration