Refugees in modern world history

The overarching premise of this chapter is that refugees were not epiphenomenal but central to the history of the 20th century. The chapter outlines briefly the major episodes and some of the less well-known ‘crises’ in Europe, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, and sub-Saharan Africa, locating their origin in world war, revolution, decolonisation and state formation. This provides the basis for a discussion of the modern refugee regime as a changing constellation of interests and actors. In asking how and for whom refugees in different contexts were construed as a distinct category and a specific ‘problem’, this chapter considers emergency relief efforts, the creation and management of refugee camps, and ‘durable solutions’ including repatriation and ‘homecoming’ in a variety of settings.