The 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol stand as the most significant and comprehensive legal framework for defining and protecting the rights of refugees worldwide, representing a cornerstone in the development of international refugee law.

Claudena Skran and Evan Easton-Calabria have co-written a chapter on the Historical Development of International Refugee Law in the new edition of the book, The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.

The chapter provides a historical overview of the development of modern refugee law, tracing its roots from the interwar years to the drafting of the 1951 Convention. Skran and Easton-Calabria emphasize a significant legacy of the interwar period: the focus on refugee labor and the connections between refugee employment, self-reliance, and mobility.

With contributions from more than 50 authors with academic and practitioner backgrounds, the book provides comprehensive analysis of the Refugee Convention and its Protocol, including recent developments, national legislation and practice, and thematic explorations.

The book is available from Oxford University Press and edited by Andreas Zimmermann, Terje Einarsen, and Assistant Editor Franziska M. Herrmann.