NSU hosts launch of book on displacement and refugee issues in south asia
North South University (NSU) recently hosted the book launch and discussion of Displacement and Refugee Issues in South Asia: Uncovering the Contested Realities, an edited volume published by Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.
The event brought together scholars, students and researchers to discuss forced displacement, refugee governance and humanitarian challenges in South Asia.
Edited by Bulbul Siddiqi, the book examines displacement across Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka at a time when global forced displacement has reached record levels. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 123 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of 2024, with most hosted by low- and middle-income countries. The volume situates South Asia as both a major host of displaced populations and a significant source of forced migration.
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Speaking at the event, Bulbul Siddiqi said the book sought to centre the lived realities of displaced communities and move discussions beyond emergency responses, emphasising dignity, social cohesion and regional responsibility-sharing.
The volume includes interdisciplinary contributions on asylum and citizenship regimes, environmental displacement, media representations of refugees, the Rohingya crisis, Afghan displacement shaped by prolonged conflict, and the politics of refugee encampment.
Parisa Shakur, Senior Lecturer at NSU and a contributing author, noted a gradual decline in social cohesion between host communities and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, raising concerns about long-term coexistence.
Contributing author Kaisayr Husein, drawing on his experience as a Rohingya scholar, stressed the need for sustained international engagement, saying the roots of Rohingya displacement lie in Myanmar and require political solutions.
The discussion was moderated by Altaf Parvez, researcher on refugee issues and South Asian politics, who highlighted how identity politics and the absence of a comprehensive refugee policy complicate refugee governance in the region.
The session was chaired by Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Vice-Chancellor of NSU, who said displacement and refugee issues require collective global action and described the book as an important contribution to understanding South Asia's role in the global refugee crisis.
The event reaffirmed NSU's commitment to advancing scholarship on migration, displacement and refugee studies.
