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1 results

  • 6 - A Matter of Definition

  • from Part I - The Postwar and Decolonization Moment
  • Edited by Jan C. Jansen, Simone Lässig, German Historical Institute, Washington DC
  • Book:
    Refugee Crises, 1945-2000
    Published online:
    13 October 2023
    Print publication:
    01 October 2020, pp 124-154

  • Summary

    As European powers lost colonial wars and/or faced independence movements, millions of people living in or stationed in the colonies fled en masse, mostly to Europe. This essay offers an overview of these migrations of decolonization, considers their legacy, and offers points of comparison with contemporary refugee movements. Despite the migrants’ ethnic and racial diversity and the large numbers involved (about 5 to 7 million people), decolonization migrants are viewed today as having nearly completely integrated into their host societies. While these migrants share many features in common with contemporary refugees, a notable distinction is that of definition.Defined nearly from the start as full-fledged members of the host country they were migrating to, migrants of decolonization typically received advantages unmatched by most other migrants of the postwar period.