Band 7, Heft 1 -

Attempts by the new United Nations and member states to address post-1945 population displacement culminated in the 1951 Refugee Convention that made explicit reference to events in Europe, overlooking major crises in other parts of the world whose contours and outcomes are discussed. The article discusses debates within the UN and among international lawyers and non-governmental organisations about the right of refugees to seek protection from persecution, and how broader notions of rights foundered on the rock of state sovereignty. These historical examples indicate that choices were made and actions were circumscribed in relation to population displacement.

Bruce Mazlish reflects on the transition of humanity from modernity to globalization.

The classical adage “Know Thyself” applies as much to individuals as to societies. Here a well-known philosopher and theorist of global society grapples with several recent global developments, and offers a new, seven-part theory of social and cultural change by way of a self-inquiry.