The debate on ‘sense of place’ has been widespread in geography since the mid-1970s, yet with few exceptions the analytical potential of this concept has not been fully realized as far as the study of migration movements is concerned. A major reason for this has been methodology, or specifically the difficulties in capturing and evaluating the relevance of ‘place’ for migration processes. From a multidisciplinary standpoint, the article assesses the potential of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and also identifies several conflicting aspects that arise when analysing senses of places and international migration, such as ‘scale’, ‘representation’, ‘sensibilities’ and ‘consciousness’.