0:08:09
Palestine, a country often identified as the site of the world's longest-running refugee crisis, is often seen as a paradigmatic case of modern mass displacement and a key example of the convoluted politics of dislocation. On the other hand, the Palestinian exile is also often understood as a profoundly abnormal phenomenon, fundamentally different from other forms of forced migration in the twentieth century. This notion is supported by the legally and politically distinct category of 'Palestinian refugee' and the existence of the institution of UNRWA, which is specific to Palestine. This lecture explores the development of mass Palestinian displacement as a weapon of war, a tool of state-building and a means of enforcing visions of imperial internationalism. It traces how Palestine became the site for the development of a specific modern refugee regime focused on decolonial containment, a process that continues to the present day.
The lecture was given by Laura Robson, Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University, on November 27, 2024 at 6:00 pm at the Institute of Czech Literature of the Czech Academy of Sciences at the invitation of Initiative for Critical Academia (IZKA).
