Month: February 2018

Welcome Visiting Scholars Dr. Kevin O’Sullivan and Dr. Valerie Gorin

The Department of History is pleased to welcome two visiting scholars to the department this spring, who will be visiting as guests of the Canadian Network on Humanitarian History. Professor and departmental Chair Dominique Marshall will be acting as host during their stay and would be happy to facilitate any introductions.

Throughout the year, the Department hosts many visiting scholars and student researchers from all over the world. These accomplished visitors contribute to the Department in a variety of ways, including through knowledge transfer and collaborative partnerships, and by increasing the Department’s own international research reputation.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Kevin O’Sullivan and Dr. Valérie Gorin. Faculty members and graduate students interested in meeting with them during their stay can either contact them directly or contact Prof. Marshall.

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CfP: Beyond Relief and Rehabilitation: UNRRA in Historical Perspective, 1943-47

One Day Workshop

Deadline: 15 April 2018

Location: Armstrong Building, Newcastle University

Date: 28 June 2018

The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, or UNRRA, was the first truly international humanitarian effort to prevent famine, destitution, and disease after a major conflict. Until the creation of UNRRA in 1943, war and post-war relief was predominantly carried out by charities, philanthropic individuals, or societies, each of which had independent aims and motives. Between its creation in 1943 and its closure in 1947, UNRRA provided emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation to millions of refugees and displaced persons (DPs) who fell under its mandate. UNRRA’s action in the international arena marked a watershed moment in international relations, human rights, and refugee humanitarianism. In shaping migration policy and conflict resolution and reconstruction processes, the Administration established a precedent for the emergence of the modern-day United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as well as for future UN specialised agencies, such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and WHO. In many ways, UNRRA can be viewed as a lens through which we can understand present-day challenges in the world today.

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