We Refugees

In: Ukrai͏̈na moderna: Modern Ukraine, Band 26, S. 210-220

Abstract

After the World War I, every more or less considerable political crisis causes a wave of refugees. And 76 years have passed since Arendt's essay "We refugees" was published for the first time by a small Jewish publisher in New York. By today, this text is among the core texts of contemporary political philosophy and civic journalism. However, the waves of the refugees go on without end, while Arendt's harsh truth does not lose its importance. She argues that patriotism is probably the only shelter for those who has lost everything. Today, when we witness new experiences of the refugees, and refuge from the destroyed motherland, this text is to remind us why we should care about those who lost everything for no good reason.