Forced Displacement: Why Rights Matter

Uprootedness, exile and forced displacement, be they due to conflict, persecution or even so-called 'development', are conditions which characterize the lives of millions of people across the globe. While the international community has largely been concerned with refugees crossing borders to flee persecution, violence, impoverishment and brutal regimes, less attention has been paid to internally displaced populations.

Critically examining the disjunctures in global and local policy frameworks and categories that determine the lives and status of displaced people, and providing in-depth case studies from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, this collection evaluates rights-based approaches that seek to award agency to displaced people and demonstrates how 'rights talk' can be 'rights practice' in forced migration research, policy and practice. Including contributions from leading scholars and activists in the field, the book analyses and attempts to bridge the divide between a range of displacement situations, including development 'oustees', refugees and internally displaced persons.