When Migrants Fail to Stay: New Histories on Departures and Migration

The aftermath of the Second World War marked a radical new moment in the history of migration. For the millions of refugees stranded in Europe, China and Africa, it offered the possibility of mobility to the ’new world’ of the West; for countries like Australia that accepted them, it marked the beginning of a radical reimagining of its identity as an immigrant nation. For the next few decades, Australia was transformed by waves of migrants and refugees. However, two of the five million who came between 1947 and 1985 later left. When Migrants Fail to Stay examines why this happened.

This innovative collection of essays explores a distinctive form of departure, and its importance in shaping and defining the reordering of societies after World War II. Esteemed historians Ruth Balint, Joy Damousi, and Sheila Fitzpatrick lead a cast of emerging and established scholars to probe this overlooked phenomenon. In doing so, this book enhances our understanding of the migration and its history.

Ruth Balint is Associate Professor of History at the University of New South Wales, Australia. She has published on illegal journeys to Australia, refugee history, the history of displaced persons, and migration history.

Joy Damousi is Director of the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences at Australian Catholic University, Australia. She has published on various aspects of grief, trauma and loss during the two world wars. She is author of numerous books, including Memory and Migration in the Shadow of War (2015) and Colonial Voices: A Cultural History of English in Australia 1840-1940 (2010).

Sheila Fitzpatrick is Professor of History at Australian Catholic University, Australia.