WIREDGOV

New exhibition brings visitors face-to-face with the people behind the headlines, as IWM explores 100 years of refugee experiences.

From the First World War to the present day, countless lives have been affected by conflict, resulting in ordinary people having to make extraordinary decisions – should they stay or go?

This is the focus of Refugees: Forced to Flee (24 September 2020 – 24 May 2021), a major new exhibition opening this week at IWM London.

Refugees: Forced to Flee is rooted in cutting-edge research, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), that explores the decisions and consequences faced by those whose worlds have been turned upside down by war over the past 100 years.

Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair, and Professor Jennifer Rubin, ESRC Executive Chair, say:

“More than ever we need the insights and perspectives of our researchers to navigate the great global and contemporary social challenges of our times. We are delighted to see how UKRI’s high quality research on a broad spectrum of issues related to forced displacement has provided new and challenging thinking around refugee crises, past and present, which now features in this important exhibition.

“The impact of refugee crises and forced displacement is, above all, a human story and we hope that this exhibition helps raise awareness of the importance of a detailed understanding of the contemporary and historic contexts surrounding these complex issues, and sheds light on the lived experience of those separated from their families and displaced from their homes.”

Read the full story on the UKRI website.