It is raining hyperboles about refugees in the news:the numbers have never been higher, as well as the accompanying problems. Because where do we leave so many refugees? And what is their influence on our culture? Professor of Migration History Leo Lucassen (Leiden University) places the current migration wave in historical perspective.
Since the confrontational photo of the drowned toddler Aylan on the Turkish beach, the mood has partly changed in Europe. The call is getting louder not to keep the borders closed. Many people can no longer look away from the suffering of the refugees. What is wisdom? Leo Lucassen, Director of Research at the International Institute of Social History, sheds light on this burning issue. He is also Professor of Migration History at Leiden University.
Almost a million refugees are entering Europe. Does that affect our culture? “If you look at the conflicts or attacks that have taken place in Europe in recent years, it turns out to be a clash with a small group of radical Muslims. A larger group thinks differently about issues such as equality between men and women or gay emancipation, but so do orthodox Protestants. These groups are taking no further action and their beliefs have not led to fundamental changes in our laws or ideas.”
“Our way of life is not under pressure, the robustness of Europe is really underestimated! Millions of people have come to Europe in the last 25 years and we have not lost our way, we can regulate it just fine. Now a million refugees are entering Europe, mostly Syrians, but that is only 0.2 percent of the European population. Far from a tsunami if you see it in proportion. Fear of the disappearance of our culture is understandable, but ultimately unjustified. Not every Muslim migrant is a step closer to the European Caliphate.”
Are there clear effects of large groups of migrants further back in time? “In the seventeenth century, large groups of refugees and economic migrants came to the Netherlands. Our country then had more ambition than labor force and en masse the sailors, soldiers and workers came our way to work. But large groups of Calvinists, fleeing war and persecution, also settled here. The effect was a huge economic boost. No Golden Age without them! Culturally, there were some tensions. Religion was then incredibly important in the Netherlands and the strict Calvinists from the southern Netherlands, present-day Belgium and northern France, left their mark on what we now see as typically Dutch. Not everyone was happy with their fanaticism and the country has been on the brink of civil war. But in the long run, that sharpness wore off and only a small minority remained strictly orthodox.”
According to the Refugee Foundation, nearly 60 million people were displaced in 2014. That is the largest number since World War II. How were migrants received then? “The Netherlands did not want to admit refugees unless they were willing to work underground in the mines for five years, for example. We needed such workers. Most of the refugees returned home fairly quickly and the remaining millions were taken care of in German and Austrian camps. At that time, Europe was much poorer than it is now and the reception of those millions of refugees also succeeded. We can handle much more logistics than we think, and in addition, the vast majority of the 60 million refugees are now located in the region itself, for example in poor African neighboring countries.”
If you look at migration flows from history, what are the similarities? “Migration is not new and neither are refugees. The number of refugees depends on the number and type of conflicts that take place. They now only come from further away which makes it harder for us to identify with them. But this also changes over time. For example, a large group of Catholic Irish migrated to Protestant Great Britain from 1840. The English then thought that these Catholics could never really become English. Things got really violent between these two groups and it all worked out in the end. If you look at history, there is no example of migrants where things have gone horribly wrong in the new country.”
What are the differences with today? “After the Second World War, many migrants from outside Europe come here for the first time. It starts with millions of postcolonial migrants from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Then guest workers from North Africa and Turkey come to Europe. A big difference is the religious background. Islam has become the dominant factor. Another major difference is the emergence of welfare states after the Second World War, which can be at odds with migration. In order to keep shelter affordable, refugees have to find work as soon as possible and with labor migrants you can think about limited and gradual access to social security.”
Why is this refugee flow in the news all the time? “That has to do with the visibility of the refugees. And with the dramas that play out because of the greater risks these refugees have to take. Since the emigration of the Albanians to Italy in the early 1990s, rickety boats full of refugees have sailed to Europe. As we increasingly close our borders, people now have to take more dangerous routes. The consequences of this are now all over the news. We see anonymous masses as a threat much more quickly, but as soon as we can identify with the victims, this turns into compassion, such as after the photo of the drowned toddler on the Turkish beach."
How should the government solve this? “We have to arrange reception properly and centrally, at European level, and immediately map out what people can do. Then you divide the refugees according to capacity and need. So more refugees to rich countries and we also have to take into account the different types of work that European countries are waiting for. Now the EU sees only a problem rather than the potential of these refugees.”
There are Citizens' Initiatives to help the refugees. Is that a good plan? “I think it is very good that Vluchtelingenwerk warns people against taking refugees into their homes. However well-intentioned, there are snags and these people take problems with them. I don't think it's the way to a solution either. A rich society like ours just needs to get it right. The most important thing is to deploy human capital so that care remains affordable. So change the policy so that people can get to work quickly.”