'Refugeedom’ (Peter Gatrell) forms an important part of modern Jewish experience. The historiography on Jewish migration and refugeedom thus significantly contributed to the current debates and concepts of migration and refugee studies. While earlier research was often wedded to national historical narratives and to the myth of Jewish migration from Europe as redemption, recent research focuses on global, transnational, and comparative aspects of refugeedom combining macro- and micro-historical perspectives. While we discuss in the first part of the term mainly methodological concepts of historical refugee studies, we will deal with the turning points and shifting centers of mass migration and refugeedom since the late nineteenth century until the present in the second part of the term. The students will continuously develop a small research project with a research essay (written or audio-visual) as the outcome. Prior knowledge of Jewish history or refugee studies is not required.
- Instructor: Ines Koeltzsch