Refugee History University of Buckingham

Overview

Refugee History at University of Buckingham is a rapidly growing field of study in which there is an enormously wide range of possible thesis topics in the period between sixteenth century and the present day. These can range from the very broad and theoretical, on issues like the dynamics of global population movements, the role of war in bringing about the displacement of populations, or international responses to refugee ‘crises’, to the very local and personal, including cultural histories of diaspora communities or biographies of individuals who have experienced exile. Given sufficient evidence to illuminate it, almost any aspect of the history of refugees may potentially form an appropriate focus of study. The definition of the PhD subject is an iterative process, and it is usual for the candidate’s first thoughts on the topic to be modified in the course of the first year of study.

Study period

The usual period of doctoral research is three years for the those who engage in full-time study, though the University’s Regulations also permit candidates who make particularly rapid progress to apply to the University Research Committee for permission to submit at the end of their second year of study. Part-time study is also available, with students completing the dissertation in five or six years.