Displacement Studies
Critical Displacement Studies is an emerging interdisciplinary field that examines processes of displacement and the structural systems that contribute to forced relocation. Intersecting with refugee and migration studies, Critical Displacement studies focuses on the ways in which humans experience processes of displacement, whether due to natural disaster, climate change, government-induced development, civil unrest, or eminent domain. The field also examines how these experiences are addressed — or not — in laws, policies, technologies, housing, and historical narratives about displacement. Finally, the field explores the intersections among related issues such as human rights, citizenship, statelessness, sovereignty, (national) security, housing, social services, and community health.
A leader in Critical Displacement Studies, CRMDS was funded by the Social Science Research Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities to work with several faculty across Virginia Tech in multiple disciplines, including Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, Technical Communication, Geography, Housing, Biology, Indigenous Studies, and History to understand the convergences of multiple kinds of displacement and multiple interdisciplinary approaches to researching displacement. This work resulted in an edited collection, Critical Displacement Studies Reader, forthcoming in 2026.
In recognition of displacement as a complex phenomenon, the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies approaches the study of displacement by moving beyond disciplinary frameworks that focus on single issues and examining instead the complex, structural, and human rights issues related to forcible displacement.
The center places attention on broader infrastructures of power to examine displacement issues that require interdisciplinary approaches, including humanistic approaches that examine representations of these issues and how displacement affects the human condition.
Introduction to Displacement Studies
STS 2984/ENGL 2984/HIST 2984
NEXT OFFERING SPRING 2025
- Why do people become displaced from their homes and/or their countries?
- What happens to them once they are displaced?
- What's the difference between a refugee, a migrant, and an asylum-seeker?
- How do technologies help or hinder social connection at and across borders and throughout the resettlement process?
This course will discuss these topics and many more.
Population displacement is one of the biggest issues facing the global community in the twenty-first century. This introductory course helps students understand the politics, practices, and processes of population displacement and the role that technologies play in shaping all of these.
For more information, contact: Dr. Rebecca Hester, Department of Science, Technology and Society
In Place Podcast
Populations are displaced and forcibly resettled daily by civil unrest, eminent domain, gentrification, climate change, and the broader infrastructures of power. “In Place” is a community-focused podcast that provides conversations with people affected by displacement in Virginia.
Developed by a team of undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech, alongside faculty in the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies, “In Place” also links local stories to global issues of displacement and resettlement. Each episode explores a different theme related to displacement, migration, and/or resettlement through interviews with subject-matter experts.
“In Place” seeks to have meaningful conversations about the nature of displacement in a world where more and more people — and nonhuman species — are being forced into migration. The podcast explores why migration occurs and the process through which refugees and displaced individuals become members of their new communities.
Those with experience (lived or studied) with displacement and an interest in being interviewed for the podcast should contact the “In Place” team.
click above for the latest episodes
