Forced Migrations in Comparative Context
Session Abstract
The question of forced migrations lies at the heart of many of the bloodiest modern histories, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Yet studies of forced migrations are typically treated as singular cases, rather than through comparison. This panel places the Palestinian-Israeli case in broader context through a discussion of four case studies: the Greek-Turkish “population exchange” following the Great War; displaced persons following the Second World War; the expulsion and flight of Palestinians during the 1948 War; and the mass flight of Iraqi Jews to Israel in the early 1950s. Underlying questions of this panel include: how do we define “forced migration”? What is the relationship between force and fear? Must a “forced migration” be the result of a conscious plan on the part of the evictors? What political ends have forced migrations served?