Dialogues in Refugee Studies

For the sixty thousand German Jews who fled Nazi Germany and found refuge in Mandatory Palestine from 1933 to 1940, migration signified radical transformations: it altered their professional and cultural lives and confronted them with a new language, climate, and society. This book intertwines German-Jewish and Israeli history, narrating the story of German-Jewish migration to Mandatory Palestine/Eretz Israel as a gender history. It argues that this migration was shaped and structured by gendered policies and ideologies, experienced by men and women in a gendered manner—from the decision to immigrate and the anticipation of change, through the effects on family life, body, self-image, and sexuality.

The Hazaras of Afghanistan have faced the consequences of many destructive forces that began with the formation of the Afghan monarchy in 1747.Their relationship with the Afghan state has been characterized by numerous episodes of ethnic cleansing, mass dispossession, forced displacement, enslavement, and social and economic marginalization. Mainly Shia in a country that is predominantly Sunni Muslim, and recognizable by their Asian features, the Hazaras have become the internal "Other" in Afghanistan. They look different and adhere to a unique interpretation of Islam in a nation that is vulnerable to internal conflict and external influences.Therefore, the history of the Hazaras offers a distinct perspective on the deep contradictions within Afghanistan as a modern state, and how its ethnic and religious complexities continue to pose challenges to the political framework established after 2001.Niamatullah Ibrahimi’s exceptionally detailed history helps us comprehend the current political situation in Afghanistan. Throughout the book, Ibrahimi adopts a balanced critical viewpoint on essentialist theories of ethnicity. He skillfully demonstrates that to fully understand Afghan politics, one must both broaden their perspective to global and transnational levels and narrow it down below the provincial level.His comprehensive account of the Hazaras’ relationship with the Afghan state not only clarifies the social and political complexities of a particularly vulnerable group; it also illuminates aspects of the state-building process in Afghanistan, highlighting the wider challenges faced by internationally-supported state-building initiatives.By concentrating on the Hazaras, Ibrahimi illustrates how ethnicity, instead of being a fundamental form of social organization, transformed into a tool for political mobilization. He evaluates the costs linked to the creation of modern nation-states in multiethnic societies by recounting the struggles endured by the Hazaras during Afghanistan's evolution. This book is a must-read for political analysts, policymakers, and anyone keen on understanding why failed multiethnic nation-states result in politics of rage and extremism in the region.This work is truly captivating as it adeptly examines the link between the formation of nation-states since the late 1800s and the politicization of ethnic identities. Ibrahimi brings to life the history of the long-oppressed Hazara minority, detailing their interactions with the Afghan state over the last two hundred years, their complex internal political conflicts, the effects of foreign interventions, and their recent strides in the ongoing pursuit of recognition. It is a story filled with bloodshed, tragedy, and yet, moments of inspiration.This book offers a fresh viewpoint on the strategies and tactics used by the Afghan state, as well as the responses from the Hazaras, focusing on three key events: the Hazara rebellion and their resistance to the Afghan state's encroachment in the 19th century; the incorporation of the Hazara homeland into Afghanistan during the 1890s, which led to their marginalization and exclusion; and the Hazaras' ethnic mobilization and their quest for recognition in recent times.

In contrast to most theoretical discussions on immigration that commence with philosophical ideas and subsequently derive conclusions from them, this book adopts a distinct approach. It starts with actual cases and immigration policies from the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Colombia to assess immigration control and prepare us to confront it. Each chapter begins with particular immigration policies, practices, or immigrant experiences in the U.S. and Latin America, then analyzes them through the perspective of global oppression. This enables us to identify what renders these situations unethical and prepares us to react to such injustices and improve the lives of immigrants. This work stands out as one of the first thorough examinations of immigration ethics that also includes Central and South America alongside the U.S. and Mexico.