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Talk

Records of human experience: The value and vulnerability of refugee archives

Explore the value and the fragility of refugee and naturalisation collections in this Research Routes event.

Date
16 September 2026
Location
Online
About this image

Bomb damage, Caen (1944). Catalogue reference: HO 338/27

Refugee archives preserve some of the most important records of human experience, documenting displacement, resilience, and identity. They are invaluable resources for researchers, archivists, activists, policymakers, and refugee communities themselves. Yet these collections are often vulnerable.

Drawing on experiences from the UNHCR Archives, the Living Refugee Archive, and The National Archives' own collections, speakers will discuss how collections are created, preserved, and used, as well as the challenges faced.

Together, we will consider how archives can support research, public engagement, and community memory while navigating the sensitivities that often accompany histories of human experience, reflecting on the role archives play in shaping our understanding of migration, humanitarian action, and lived experience across time.

You can find out more about the Research Route programme on our website.

Event details

Date
16 September 2026, 12:00 to 13:15
Price
Free
Location
Online, Live-streamed on Zoom
Part of series
Research Routes

This event has sold out.

Dates for this event

16 September 2026 (past event)

  • 12:00 to 13:15

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Speakers

Series

Research Routes

A series of photographs showing a pair of hands clapping, frame-by-frame

Explore our collections in new and innovative ways with academics, creatives and practitioners in this series of talks and workshops.