The book intends to capture the crises of forced migration, internal displacement due to conflict situation and development-induced migration. The essay in this volume record the experiences of societies in South Asia (India, Bangladesh), Latin America (Peru), Europe (Germany, Austria) and Africa (Reunion Island, Namibia, Rwanda), each of which has histories marked by large-scale displacement caused by colonial policies of land capture, slavery or indentures labour, or partitions and other exclusions in the very birth of the nation-state. The essays are more than mere cautionary tales. They articulate how the denial of 'belonging' leaves a mark not only on individuals, but also on te nation that excludes, as well as the implications it has for citizens' access to rights and the solidarity of fellow-citizens.