This roundtable brings together five historians of twentieth-century humanitarianism who work on different regions of the world, for a discussion about new directions in the study of refugees and humanitarianism. Drawing on their own original research, each panelist will situate the entwined humanitarianism and refugees in relation to other areas of inquiry – including medicine, international relations, human rights, race and ethnicity, and geopolitics. Although refugee studies and humanitarian studies have both expanded as historical subfields within the last few decades, scholarship in these areas is too often read in isolation. To counter this tendency, our panelists intend to discuss tight links between humanitarianism and refugeedom, both in terms of the historiography and in actual historical practice. In so doing, we hope to offer new insights and methodological strategies for scholars working in both subfields.

In the course of our conversation, we will touch on several key themes. First, emphasizing the agency of local and international actors, our panelists will pay particular attention to the individuals involved in these efforts – including aid workers, health personnel government officials, and survivors of war and disaster themselves – reflecting on the decisions they made and the constraints they faced. Second, our panelists will discuss how race, nationality, religion, and other politically charged considerations were often at stake in determining which populations were deemed worthy of assistance. In the process, they will underscore the political, economic, and societal issues at play, reflecting on the idea that humanitarianism is not always a neutral or benign activity. Third, we will discuss the blurred lines between humanitarian assistance and other related issues, including global health, international humanitarian law, and human rights. In so doing, panelists will consider how individual humanitarians and aid organizations have contributed to broader global debates, over such issues as refugees’ rights, the laws of war, and efforts to contain global pandemics. Taken together, we intend for our remarks to spark new ideas, pose unanswered questions, and pave the way for new research in these fields.

In organizing this roundtable, we are keen to assist graduate students, PhD candidates, early-career researchers, and established academics alike in developing research projects that may better integrate the history of humanitarianism, refugee studies, and other pertinent subfields. We aim to encourage future research on refugees in relation to humanitarianism that to identify critical moments across the twentieth century when practices, policies, and conceptual frameworks underwent significant transformation. In engaging with the audience, the roundtable seeks to spur conversation over what crucial moments in history have influenced humanitarian operations and refugee crises. We hope that this discussion will also lead to new contacts between panelists and audience members, allowing them to exchange ideas and advice on their research.