Forced migration, globalization, and global public health

Abstract

This chapter sets the context for the book by highlighting the political and legal constructs that underlie the various categories of people on the move throughout the world, including recent trends and changes. We establish the importance of refugee health as an area of public health, and briefly outline the intersectionality of the issues that result in health-related vulnerabilities for this population group. The chapter also notes the updates from the previous edited collection, which was published as long ago as 2003, and introduces the various aspects of the health of refugees discussed in later chapters by the contributors to this volume.