As both a state-of-the-art and a forward-looking agenda, this introductory chapter reviews the evolution of the literature on return migration, seen as both a space-time event and an ongoing process. Especially since the turn of the millennium, the geographical range of return migration research has widened to a global reach and has been subject to a variety of theorisations. It has also been increasingly politicised, linked to policies of migration management and control. The chapter reviews and deconstructs a range of arguably false dichotomies of return, such as forced vs voluntary, permanent vs temporary and success vs failure. The impact of return on countries of origin and the challenges of reintegration for returnees are also highlighted. Several new implications for return are identified as themes for future research, including return and inequality, the role of returnees as conveyors of social remittances and cultural globalisation, and return as an intersectionally embodied process.