HIS3012 ST: Refugees & Migration

Our world currently faces the worst refugee crisis since World War II, with approximately 60 million people made homeless by war, state violence, famine, climate change, flood and forced expulsions. This course examines the crisis within a historical and political framework. We will interrogate every stage of the processes that create and handle population displacements, and we will consider refugees themselves not as merely victims of circumstance but as historical actors who face crucial and gut-wrenching decisions at every turn in their journeys. Perspectives to consider are those of refugees, governments, aid agencies, and the host communities where (some) refugees are eventually resettled. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) often suffer even more than those who make it across an international border, as many remain beyond the reach of humanitarian aid and media visibility. This course covers classic readings on displacement and supplements those with first-hand experience and interactions with refugees resettled locally in Vermont, as well as the organizations that support them. Credits: 3.000