On Immigration and Refugees

Michael Dummett, philosopher and social critic, was one of the sharpest and most prominent commentators and campaigners for the fair treatment of immigrants and refugees in Britain and Europe. This book insightfully draws together his thoughts on this major issue for the first time.

Exploring the confused and often highly unjust thinking about immigration, Dummett then carefully questions the principles and justifications governing state policies, pointing out that they often conflict with the rights of refugees as laid down by the Geneva Convention. With compelling and often moving examples, On Immigration and Refugees points a new way forward for humane thinking and practice about a problem we cannot afford to ignore.

'Makes the case meticulously ... a terrible indictment of modern British immigration policy.' - The Economist (WORLD)

'Passionately argued and shot through with a sense of urgency ... an invigorating read.' - The Tablet

'acutely spots a blank in the mentality of earlier political philosophers who "have seldom asked what obligations a state has towards those who are not its citizens" and argues powerfully against those who "hold that we have at most only negative duties towards strangers: that, for example, we may not kill them, but have no duty to protect them from being killed". He exposes the fraudulence of the phrase "bogus asylum-seeker"It would be rash to expect so decent a voice will get much of a hearing. After all, selfishness is not only admired but encouraged all around us' - The Evening Standard

'Makes the case meticulously ... Sir Michael's narrative gains power from its cold-blooded, uncoloured language ... a terrible indictment of modern British immigration policy. - The Economist

'A timely and useful contribution to the debatea clear, readable and coherent argument.' - Humanist News

'A lucid philosophical discussion of the ethical principles at stake in matters of immigration and asylum, and a sharp review of the historical ways they have been manhandled.' - New Left Review

'Its greatest contribution is to demolish the arguments uses by politicians and the media, and to expose their implicit racism... It would be hard to find another short book which analyses the causes and development of racism so clearly, and shows the connivance in fostering racial prejudice of successive governments of all parties.' - Local Government Studies

' On Immigration and Refugees is an informed, engaging and often provocative polemic, deserving a wide readership.' - Journal of Peace Research 2002

Sir Michael Dummett, (1925 - 2011) was Wykeham Professor of Logic at the University of Oxford until his retirement in 1992, and was knighted for his "services to philosophy and to racial justice" in 1999.