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HISTORY 300-0 : New Lectures in History: History of Refugees (New Lectures in History: History of Refugees)

Description

According to the United Nations, 108 million people are forcibly displaced globally today. Nonetheless, these numbers only show one side of the story, and numbers do not speak for themselves.

This class will historicize the global refugee crisis and examine the roots of mass displacement, statelessness and ethnic cleansing starting from the late nineteenth century. We will locate the emergence of refuge in histories of border-making, the transition from empires to nation-states, world wars, genocidal violence (de)colonization, and abortion rights. Our readings and discussions will allow us to learn about key transnational historical events, and critically evaluate the institutions and international agreements that shape global displacement across the Middle East, Caucasia, Central America and Europe. We will unpack the framing of refugees as “a crisis” or “problem,” and concentrate on the structural, political, socioeconomic and environmental forces and violence that cause displacement.