Millions of people around the world are on the move. They are moving across choppy waters in makeshift boats, across unforgiving landscapes with their belongings on their backs and moving away from the lives they have always known.

In particular, Europe has historically seen emigration after World War II, the Spanish civil war, the Irish potato famine and more. Currently refugees from Syria and other nations are trying to re-establish their lives in new lands.

Although the difficult—and often tragic—circumstances that have caused their flight from their home countries may differ, the current scale of displaced people is larger than ever before and is continuing to grow.

Today (Nov. 9), the West Virginia University Department of History and the College of Law present a panel of experts who will discuss the history of mass migration in Europe.

“The Movement of Peoples: Past, Present and Future” will be presented from 6-8 p.m. at the College of Law Event Hall. Free parking will be available in the law school parking lot.

The panel will feature a keynote address by G. Daniel Cohen, associate professor of history at Rice University, an expert historian on human rights and migration studies and author of In War’s Wake: European Refugees in the Postwar Order.

Special guest Gabor Demzsky, former mayor of Budapest, will deliver brief remarks providing a political and historical perspective on Hungary and the Syrian refugee crisis.

In addition to Cohen and Demzsky, faculty from the University’s College of Law, history, women’s and gender studies, geography and political science will share their expertise. Participates include:

• Michael Blumenthal, Law
• Ari Bryen, History
• James Friedberg, Law
• Cynthia Gorman, Women’s and Gender Studies
• Karen Culcasi, Geology and Geography
• Erik Herron, Political Science

“The last major refugee crisis in Europe occurred in the aftermath of the Second World War, when over one million civilians found themselves displaced and homeless,” said Joseph Hodge, chair of the history department. “Responding to the crisis was the first act of the newly formed United Nations Organization through the creation of the UN’s Relief and Rehabilitation Agency and the International Refugee Organization.”

Comparing Europe’s current and past experiences with mass migrations can inform our understanding of today’s refugee crisis. There are many similarities, but there are also some important differences, including the response of the United Nations and the responsibility of states for providing humanitarian assistance.”

This event is one of several being held by the Department of History this month that discuss how history provides context and understanding for current events.

• November 6 – “An Indispensable Dialogue: Approaching the Past through Oral History”
• November 9 – “The Movement of Peoples: Past, Present and Future”
• November 10 – “Hollywood and History”
• November 12 – 5th Annual Rush D. Holt Lecture: “The Seventh Tea Ship; or, a Tale of Shipwrecked Sailors, Combative Communities, and a Fractured Family”
• November 16 – “From WVU and Back Again: Student Researchers on the Move”

These events are featured as part of WVU’s yearlong celebration of the anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law, which created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. More details about the celebration and a calendar of events are available at http://artsandhumanities.wvu.edu/. Check back often for features, updates and showcases of WVU departments throughout the year.

-WVU-

ms/11/09/15

CONTACT: Devon Copeland, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
304.293.6867, Devon.Copeland@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.