Outsiders: The History of Refugees in an Enlarged Europe
Lecture | February 15 | 12-1:30 p.m. | 180 Doe Library
Refugees have permeated European history and the receiving states and societies have almost always profited from taking them in. This talk analyzes the major causes of mass flight and the oft traumatic journeys en route. Tracing the paths of the refugees, the narrative crosses the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and so provides a wider vision of European history that includes the United States. Professor Ther will then discuss why refugees were welcomed during certain periods and rejected at earlier and more recent moments. This talk contrasts humanitarian and utilitarian motives for the inclusion and exclusion of refugees, and how they themselves attempted to influence the agenda of receiving states. The structured account of refugee movements and admission is set against several biographical case studies, which show the itineraries, convictions, and agendas of individual refugees, thus adding a strong human touch.