The University of Melbourne

Friday 7 October – Saturday 8 October 2016

Call for Papers

The plight of refugees has become the global issue of our times. The United Nations has estimated that over 59 million people worldwide are displaced as a result of conflict and persecution, the highest number since the 1990s. In most recent events, an estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war in 2011. Throughout the twentieth century and now into the early decades of the twenty-first century, involuntary displacement of peoples has become a defining feature of the modern era. This international conference seeks to explore all aspects of the history of the past and present plight of refugees.  It aims to address a broad range of questions relating to this history such as: What has defined different refugee crises at different times in history? What has been the magnitude of the refugee crisis and how can we explain its scale? How have governments, humanitarian aid agencies, philanthropic and other organizations responded to refugee crises in modern times? What have they learnt from past campaigns? How have refugees experienced displacement? How has the refugee experience changed over time?  

Papers are welcome on the following topics:

• History of particular refugee groups over time
• Child refugees and their experiences
• Gender issues relating to refugees
• Violence and refugees
• Public policy relating to refugees
• Photographic and visual material of refugees
• Memory, trauma and the refugee experience
• Humanitarianism and refugees
• Digital media and refugee histories  
• Government responses to refugee crises
• Economic histories of refugees
• Refugees and their narratives   

An abstract of 200 words with biographical information of 50 words is due on 31 March 2016 and should be sent to KFLaureate-Fellowship@unimelb.edu.au. Panel proposals are welcome.