Chapter 1: Introduction

In this introductory chapter, we discuss the realities, histories and geographies of forced migration, as well as the importance of higher education (HE) to refugees, in order to contextualise the subsequent chapters. The first part of the chapter positions the book against the contemporary global migration context and foregrounds the importance of, and right to, education for people from refugee backgrounds. It also scopes how recent global missions, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030), have opened up possibilities for transforming HE opportunities for refugees. We also clarify the differences in the humanitarian programmes and practices of the UK and Australia, including discussion of how these variations impact on the capacity to access and participate in HE in each country. The second part of the chapter offers our rationale for writing this book, and how our research interests, teaching and advocacy practices and methodologies have influenced our work and our engagement in this field. In the third part of this chapter, we outline how participation in HE (or non-participation) can have a significant impact on the employment prospects of refugees and asylum seekers (when the latter are permitted to work). The chapter ends with brief synopses of the succeeding chapters.