Between Return and Circulation: Experiences of Bulgarian Migrants

This article assesses the extent and specifics of return and circular migration in Bulgaria, a South-eastern European country that joined the European Union in 2007. After defining return migration and reviewing the main theories contemplating return (and circular) migration, the principal section of the article deals with the current Bulgarian migration scenario. It draws from quantitative research data as well as insights from semi-structured interviews carried out in the country in summer 2014 for the research project “Migration and Transnationalism Between Switzerland and Bulgaria”. At the end, a typical biography of a return and circular migrant is presented and compared.