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Refugee movements to Britain in the 1930s-1950s: a focus on children and young people<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Dr Monja Stahlberg leads on this strand of the research, with the wider team contributing insight from the time period their strand focuses on. Similarly, Monja’s work will inform other parts of the research programme and public engagement.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]The research: child and young refugees from Europe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Monja\u2019s research examines children and young people\u2019s experiences as refugees in Britain from the 1930s to early 1950s.<\/p>\n She the accounts of children and young people’s personal experiences with how they were represented and perceived in Britain. For example, by the media, the government and the British people.<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”679″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”835″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]This is a major strand of research within the 4-year Nation<\/em> of Refuge<\/em> project<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Monja\u2019s research strand will inform the Nation of Refuge<\/em> project, enabling us to understand and reimagine Britain’s relationship with refugees by:<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]This time period is important to the project because:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Kindertransport is arguably the most well-known refugee children movement to Britain. Archival material relating to this large-scale rescue of Jewish children from systematic persecution will help us understand the complexity of the refugee experience and the nature of the British welcome.<\/p>\n Monja explains that now is an exciting time to be working with archive material relating to the 1930s-1950s as the archives are rapidly expanding and much material is unexplored.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”665″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”blue”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n \u2018Families are keen to donate archive material to libraries from relatives who have sadly passed away. For example, diaries, letters, applications for citizenship, newsletters from the time that people have annotated, postcards, family photos, annotated bibles and calendars. It\u2019s exciting how we can gain a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the everyday experiences of refugees during this time.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Dr Monja Stahlberger<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”blue”][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Research Methods and Approaches<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This project involves archival close reading, oral history integration, Mass Observation sampling, media\/policy analysis.<\/p>\n Monja works with archived material, including ego documents (diaries, letters, memoirs); institutional records (Home Office, Board of Education,\u00a0welfare\u00a0and faith\u00a0organisations); Mass Observation diaries and directives; British newspaper archives; newsreels; BBC written archives.<\/p>\n These sources enable Monja to explore everyday experiences, reading what was written \u2018in the days, about the days\u2019. It\u2019s through understanding the mundane and the ordinary that we can create a more comprehensive picture of the refugee experience in Britain and understand how they lived within the institutional laws and rules that governed their lives.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Monja\u2019s research will make a significant contribution to future refugee research and policy making <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This research project will:<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_images_carousel images=”667,664,668,678,677″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_no” speed=”2000″ slides_per_view=”2″ autoplay=”yes” wrap=”yes” css_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Image Credits<\/strong>\n
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\n<\/strong>Image 1: <\/strong>Diary of Paul Meyer, Archival Item Identifier 98.007.002. Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, Meyer family fonds. \u00a9 Donated to the VHEC by Paul Meyer in 1998. Courtesy of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. | <\/span>Image 2: <\/strong>Letter written by a Rafaela Collado, Photo: Monja Stahlberger \/ Senate House Library Archive, <\/span>Basque House and Basque Refugee Children Papers<\/em>, MS1269\/2. <\/span>| <\/span>Image 3: <\/strong>Elisabeth Orsten\u2019s first diary entry, written January 1939. <\/span>Copyright: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. <\/span>Provenance: Elisabeth Orsten donated the Elisabeth Orsten papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2000 and 2001. | <\/span>Image 4: <\/strong>Nottingham Evening Post<\/em>, 8 May 1939, p. 9. British Library Newspapers. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.|<\/span>Image 5: <\/strong>Postcard. Photo: Monja Stahlberger \/ Senate House Library Archive, <\/span>Basque House and Basque Refugee Children Papers<\/em>, MS1269\/2.<\/span><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"