This review paper outlines the history of anthropological research on return migration, first as a 'natural' homecoming experience and then in terms of more critical work on forced return and refugee return. The paper progresses from a focus on anthropology as a disciplinary approach to address interdisciplinary work (including anthropologists, sociologists, cultural theorists, and scholars from other related fields) that has contributed to the study of return governance, voluntariness, deportation, and re-migration.