Historical perspectives on forced migration

Forced migration is as ancient a phenomenon as history itself, and a historical perspective helps us understand current trends. This introduction to Part III, History, explores the historiography of forced migration, bringing together the perspectives both of historians who study forced migration and forced migration scholars who study history. It is organized into two parts. The first provides a brief history of forced migration from prehistoric periods to the establishment of the modern refugee regime. While superficial at best, this brief history anchors the reader in the past as a prelude to the issues discussed in other sections of the Handbook. The second part of this introduction provides a roadmap to the section. It describes the chapters in the Historical Part and brings out some themes that arise from these historical reflections. These themes include: (1) the salience of forced migration throughout history; (2) the importance of national interests in shaping governmental reactions to refugee movements; (3) the folly of ignoring the needs of host populations who are affected by the arrival of forced migrants; (4) the persistence of xenophobia and racism in the face of forced migration; and (5) the equal persistence of champions of refugees throughout history.