Since 2015, the term “refugee” has been on many-a-lip, and it has become overloaded. It brings to mind vast floods of war-displaced families who have nowhere to go, who cannot go back home, who want to go somewhere safe, to start a new life. Return is not an option. They’re hope is to shift from refugee to economic immigrant. Though once a refugee, they will have trouble slaking off the label.
This essay collection, the fourth published by the European Review through the auspices of the EU-funded Versopolis project, considers the definitions of three terms—expat, immigrant, refugee.
Expats are usually seen as delightful sprites—folks who have chosen to come to your land, but who tend to be self-sufficient, not to leech off the state, and they will either marry and remain, or head back home. Immigrants blur the lines more. Local opinion usually alters depending on the view of the country of origin of said immigrants. Then there are refugees, who tend to elicit sympathy in the abstract, theoretically, but in practice, strike fear into xenophobic hearts.
This collection brings together twenty great writers from around the world to consider the subject of expatriation and expats, and its cousins, immigrants and refugees.
We welcome you to download this free ebook. Whether you are an expat, an immigrant, a refugee…or even happen to live in your country of origin.
