Researching Post-Partition Resettlement and Rehabilitation in South Asia: A Historiographical Survey

Abstract

The historiography of the Partition of British India has evolved significantly from state-centered narratives of rehabilitation to more nuanced examinations of migration, displacement, and refugee resettlement. Early official accounts primarily portrayed rehabilitation policies as administrative successes, emphasizing governmental achievements in refugee relief and property redistribution. Subsequent scholarship, however, has challenged these celebratory narratives by highlighting the complexities of displacement, the uneven implementation of rehabilitation policies, and the prolonged struggles faced by refugee communities. Rather than treating cross-migration as a singular historical event, recent studies conceptualize Partition as the beginning of multiple and interconnected histories involving migration, settlement, urban transformation, institutional reconstruction, and identity formation. This review examines the existing literature on post-Partition resettlement by organizing it into three thematic areas: patterns of cross-border migration across different regions of the subcontinent; the socio-economic, cultural, and political challenges encountered by refugees during rehabilitation; and the transformative impact of refugee communities on the cities, institutions, and societies in which they resettled. Through this thematic approach, the review identifies major historiographical trends and highlights areas that continue to require scholarly attention.

Keywords: Partition of India; Refugee Rehabilitation; Refugee Studies; Historiography; Migration Studies.