Fragile Lifelines: Organized Refugee Transportation and Rescue Missions since the 1930s

The conference language is English. / Die Konferenzsprache ist Englisch

Organizers: 
Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF), Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum für europäisch-jüdische Studien (MMZ) 

“Operation Safe Haven,” “Operation Wings of Eagles,” or even “Operation Moses” – the very names suggest that airlifts, sealifts, and other rescue missions for the persecuted are often wrapped in spectacular and heroic narratives. For those involved, organized refugee transports frequently appear as moments of extraordinary fortune – not least because, unlike individual flight, which in the 20th century was typically marked by arduous and dangerous journeys, these operations are seen as more inclusive, safer, and less burdensome. Moreover, in contrast to the often defensive posture taken toward individual refugees, destination states in these organized efforts generally responded with willingness, accepting predetermined numbers of people.

 The conference “Fragile Lifelines: Organized Refugee Transportation and Rescue Missions since the 1930s” critically examines such success narratives and the assumptions embedded within them. Bringing together different empirical perspectives on the history of organized refugee transports in the 20th century, it draws inspiration from Mobility Studies – a field where current research emphasizes the political and cultural dimensions of migration routes, transport infrastructures, and evacuation strategies (Peter Adey 2024; William Walters, Charles Heller, Lorenzo Pezzani 2022). 

In contrast to the well-documented history of individual flight – long the central focus of refugee and migration scholarship – organized transports have received comparatively little attention, especially from comparative or integrative perspectives. This conference explores a broad spectrum of cases involving air, sea, and overland transport, spanning from the rescue of refugees from the Spanish Civil War in the interwar period, to the postwar global resettlement of DPs, and the experiences of Southeast Asian “Boat People” in the 1970s, and extending to present-day perspectives. 

We aim to examine these missions in their broader historical and political contexts – considering not only the immediate backdrops of conflict and violence, but also wider transformations linked to fascism and National Socialism, the Cold War, decolonization, state formation, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Especially significant to us are approaches that center mobility, transport modes, routes, and infrastructure, as well as analyses of the political, economic, cultural, and social dimensions of refugee transportation. We are particularly interested in issues of inclusion and exclusion, unequal mobilities, and the concept of mobility justice (Mimi Sheller 2018). 

Program Available for download here soon.