Migrant women as social actorsWhy do women migrate? What are their specific functions in migration processes? What strategies and networks do they develop in order to cope with the social, cultural, and economic requirements found in their new environment? How are gender relations and roles transformed in the context of migration? How do women see themselves and the respective „others“? All contributions to to this volume describe women as social actors within specific migration processes and point out women´s creativity in shaping migrant settings. This perspective counter-balances common descriptions of women as more or less invisible and dependent victims of (male) migration. At the same time the anthropological approach ensures the careful consideration and analysis of the culturally specific contexts, within which the different processes of migration are taking place. Regional and cultural diversity of the data presented renders possible intercultural comparison of the investigated phenomena.