The 20th century has seen unprecedented violence, not only on the battlefields in Europe and Asia, but also against civilians who suffered large-scale deportation and forced migration in both the European and Asian theatres of war. Research combining institutional records with biographical data and sources, especially the existing collections pertaining to the field of Holocaust research, will enhance our understanding of forced migration and displacement and its impact on groups, institutions, and individuals. We can thereby better historicise geographies of movement and resettlement, track mobility hotspots and study patterns of agency and decision-making. We will also be better able to study the wider impact of this refugee crisis on societies in Europe and Asia in a global perspective. In addition, the global perspective on the problem of forced migration, displacement and resettlement after 1945 will advance our understanding of the different institutions and actors who were charged with managing the situation (UNRRA, IRO).

An event by the Department of Contemporary History, supported by the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna and the Austrian Future Fund.