This title was first published in 2003. The authors of the essays in this collection, all internationally recognised refugee scholars and practitioners, look at the controversial "hot" topic of refugee rights. They consider whether, 50 years after its agreement, the Refugees' Convention can provide an adequate framework for protection. In particular, the authors address: the effect of globalization upon the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees; the efficacy of the Convention as an instrument of international law; the role of the UNHCR; whether NGOs are effective instruments for change; and nationality and citizenship issues. They also consider alternatives and options for solutions to the global refugee problem.

In the summer of 1940, with much of Europe under German domination, British authorities instigated a harsh programme of internment or deportation of those who had fled Nazi oppression. This volume, written the same year, is a critique of government policies of the day.

The crisis in East Pakistan in 1971, which preceded the birth of Bangladesh, led to ten million refugees crossing the border into India. This book argues that this massive influx of refugees within a few short months changed ideas about citizenship and belonging in South Asia. The book looks at how the Indian state, while generously keeping its borders open to the refugees, made it clear that these refugees were different from those generated by Partition, and would not be allowed to settle permanently. It discusses how the state was breaking its ‘effective’ link between refugees and citizenship, and how at the same time a second ‘affective’ border was developing between those living in the border areas, especially in Assam and West Bengal. Moving beyond the refugee narratives created by Partition, this book argues that these ‘effective’ and ‘affective’ borders generated by the refugee crisis in 1971 form part of the longer historical trajectory of the current political debate regarding ‘illegal infiltration’ from Bangladesh . It goes on to analyse the aftermath of the 1971 war and the massive repatriation project undertaken by the governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to examine ways in which questions about minorities and belonging remained unresolved post-1971. The book is an interesting contribution to the history of refugees, border-making and 1971 in South Asia, as well as to studies in politics and international relations.

Across countries and time, asylum-seekers and refugees have been represented in a variety of ways. In some representations they appear negatively, as dangers threatening to ‘over-run’ a country or a region with ‘floods’ of incompatible strangers. In others, the same people are portrayed positively, with compassion, and pictured as desperately in need of assistance. How these competing perceptions are received has significant consequences for determining public policy, human rights, international agreements, and the realization of cultural diversity, and so it is imperative to understand how these images are perpetuated. To this end, this volume reflects on museum practice and the contexts, stories, and images of asylum seekers and refugees prevalent in our mass media. Based on case studies from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the overall findings are illustrative of narratives and images common to museums and the media throughout the world. They aim to challenge political rhetoric and populist media imagery and consider what forms of dissent are likely to be sustained and what narratives ultimately break through and can lead to empathy and positive political change.

What happens to refugees, the victims of forced migration, once the first rush of media attention and aid has passed and they must rebuild their lives essentially on their own? Karen Jacobsen explores the economic survival strategies of refugees, and the obstacles that they face, as they live in a protracted state of displacement. She also proposes alternative approaches for humanitarian agencies seeking to offer meaningful support.

Julius Fein examines the French response to the large number of German refugees between 1933 and 1938. Fein demonstrates how the Quai d’Orsay sought a compromise between the Republican canon, which said France must help the persecuted, and the factors that limited its willingness to accept refugees, including economic depression, mass unemployment, anti-Semitism, and anti-German sentiment.

A history, accompanied by documentary material and biographical sketches, of the American sympathizers who emigrated to Connecticut after the battle of Long island.