REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS IN EUROPE. HISTORICAL ANALYSIS, CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES

In the last years Europe has experienced a notable flow of migrants coming from other continents owing to conflicts or simply escaping from bad economic, political and social conditions. The debates have focused on the distinction between refugees and migrants and on the possible solutions to this contemporary issue: to close borders or to adopt tolerant strategies of integration? To intervene directly in the crisis or to leave others to deal with the problems? To keep national options or to arrange a common European policy? All these questions and many more are frequent in everyday debates and are constantly connected with the rise of a new nationalist illiberal radicalism that is threatening the idea of European integration and is questioning the role of the European Union. But behind these discussions there is a long history that need to be further studied and analyzed. Europe has always dealt with migrations, wars and exchanges of population and the European states are the result of these historical processes they are still dealing with in the contemporary age. This conference aims to investigate the different issues concerning refugees, migrants, displaced persons, evacuees, exiled and many more in order to discuss about this question and to compare the different cases of yesterday with the emergency of today. A special attention will be devoted to the different reactions against the arrival of refugees and the revival of nationalist and xenophobic movements that are challenging the European and national institutions. Our aim is to remind of the years when the Europeans were refugees and to debate on the historical, political, social and economic implications of this important issue, which has characterized modern and contemporary ages and still represents one of the most important keystones of the international scenario.