Exiles and Refugees in the UK and the British Empire, 1815–1949

This chapter explores the relevant literature and establishes and discusses the overarching aims and themes of the volume. It establishes the various schools of thought and the more recent trends in research, and how this volume builds on this long historiography. It highlights the importance of this volume to wider historical fields and how broader historical trends have impacted or not on the longer historiography. The chapter defines what is meant by ‘forced migration’ and outlines the key theoretical frameworks that run through the volume, giving a clear indication of our approach and parameters, as well as how the theory influences the findings and vice versa. Finally, the chapter introduces the methodologies used and provides an overview of the structure and why this was adopted in order to best present the chapters.