Virtual Special Issue: Refugees

Introduction

Refugees and asylum-seekers have been dominating headlines across the globe. Two crises in particular have contributed to the spate of news stories about refugees, and History Workshop Online has posted articles prompted by the plight of the millions who have fled Afghanistan and Ukraine as a consequence of war and political upheaval. Often, the narratives adopted by the news media emphasise the sanctity of borders and sovereignty and express concerns about the supposedly illegitimate motives for seeking asylum. This is often given precedence over the profound personal ordeals of those seeking safety in a new home. It is against this backdrop that the field of refugee histories has come of age. This Virtual Special Issue curates History Workshop’s contribution to refugee studies.

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