Preface

We are all products of human migration. Some of us migrated during our lifetimes from one part of the world to another, and had to learn different cultures, languages, diets, and systems of education. Others have parents who were forcibly relocated at different times, particularly during World War II and its sequelae, and experienced displaced persons camps, disease, and violence, and were uprooted to various corners of the world, such as the Americas and Australia. Yet others have ancestors who migrated hundreds or thousands of years ago and have lived in relatively undisturbed households for many generations. Finally, some people originated in Africa and migrated within the continent or were forcibly relocated by wars and the slave trade.

The authors of this volume are migrants and describe the human condition from their unique migratory experiences. Each author has a complex personal history of migration, often occurring in different generations, cultural traditions, and languages. All of the authors currently residing in the Americas are either recent migrants or have descended from ancestors who relocated to the Americas generations ago. Several of the authors have experienced extensive migration and relocation within their lifetimes, as the following examples show.