This exhibition is a result of videos created by undergraduate students in Prof. Theodora Dragostinova's History 3252 Course, "People on the Move: Migration in Modern Europe", at The Ohio State University during spring semester 2016. In this course, students learn about European migrations from the late 19th century until the present. First, they explore patterns of economic migration within and out of Europe due to changes in economic relations and, mainly, the advent of industrialization. In this section, students learn about European migrations to the USA, the disillusionment and return of many migrants back to Europe, and the nativist attitudes in US society vis-a-vis Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Eastern European migrants. Second, students examine the emergence of political migrations in Europe associated with the rise of nationalism and study in detail the various refugee flows in the continent during and after the Great War and World War II, with a focus on the plight of Jews from Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. Third, they examine the transformation of Europe into a continent of immigration after 1945, paying special attention to the evolving situation of the Turks in Germany, Algerians in France, and Indians and Africans in Britain. All in all, students debate the changing meaning of ideas of nationhood, border control, citizenship, community,sovereignty, and international law, making constant comparisons between historical and contemporary developments and episodes. The goal is to think through what history can teach us about current events and realize how historical analysis can provide us with the tools to better comprehend complex global crises related to human mobility.
Barriers in a Global World by Nathan Clark
The Punished Peoples: Chechnya and Crimea by Mack Glasgow
Unwelcome Newcomers by William Van Why
The Second Near East Refugee Crisis by Connor Perry