The Introduction situates Central Asian migration within long historical trajectories and contemporary global transformations. The authors trace the region’s mobility patterns from the Silk Road era to Russian imperial expansion, Soviet-directed migration, and the dramatic diversification of migration routes following the collapse of the USSR. The chapter highlights Central Asia as both a crossroads and an evolving nexus of voluntary, forced, and state-managed mobility. In the contemporary period, Russia remains the dominant destination for labour migrants; however, new corridors have emerged toward Türkiye, South Korea, Japan, Western Europe, and Australia. The authors identify three core research questions for the volume: (1) the historical and contemporary drivers shaping migration routes; (2) the role of transnational networks, digital activism, and governance regimes in structuring migrant experiences; and (3) the significance of return migration and social remittances for transforming Central Asian societies. The Introduction also outlines the volume’s methodological diversity and thematic architecture, comprising structural analyses, gendered and identity-focused chapters, and conceptual explorations of how ideas circulate alongside people. Anchored in theoretical frameworks ranging from push–pull theory to transnationalism and migration systems theory, the chapter positions Central Asian migration as a dynamic, multi-scalar, and globally significant phenomenon.