World Refugee Day 2019
Refugee Week started in 1998 as a direct reaction to hostility in the media and society in general towards refugees and asylum seekers. An established part of the UK’s cultural calendar, Refugee Week is now one of the leading national initiatives working to counter this negative climate, defending the importance of sanctuary and the benefits it can bring to both refugees and host communities. The capstone of Refugee Week is World Refugee Day, observed every June 20th by the United Nations.
Cambridge University Press hopes to contribute to the aims of Refugee Week and World Refugee Day by offering free access to the latest related book chapters and journal articles until 20 July 2019.
Refugee Week and Day provide an important opportunity for asylum seekers and refugees to be seen, listened to and valued.
The theme of Refugee Week 2019, ‘You, me and those who came before’, is an invitation to explore the lives of refugees – and those who have welcomed them – throughout the generations.
Image: Dark Water, Burning World by Syrian-born, Cambridge-based artist Issam Kourbaj, inspired by 5th-century BC Syrian boats, and his work on the continuing tragedies of his homeland.