Belonging and Transnational Refugee Settlement

This book has been written during a time of great change and contestation as it relates to forced migration and global politics. The Syrian crisis has continued to deepen as global powers vie for influence. We are now witnessing unprecedented numbers of forced migrants since the Second World War. The tragedies that have occurred in the Mediterranean and Andaman Seas attest to the persecution that people are fleeing and the risks they are willing to take when stepping on to an overcrowded boat. Politicians and the wider society are asking questions about the implications of welcoming refugees and what this might mean for the protection of national values, identity and security. Written between the lines of such concerns are the implications of belonging – rarely defined but emotively experienced, particularly when these are perceived to be under threat.