Research on the “flight and expulsion of Germans” began in West Germany as early as the 1950s, shortly after the events themselves had taken place. One of the most representative outcomes of this early research was the multi-volume series the Dokumentation der Vertreibung der Deutschen aus Ost-Mitteleuropa. Although this work established a foundational narrative of “flight and expulsion,” it has received limited academic recognition, largely due to its uncritical portrayal of German victimhood and insufficient engagement with the Nazi past. In contrast, studies on the postwar integration of expellees and their organizations have achieved a considerable degree of scholarly sophistication, both in terms of quantity and academic standards. However, despite these achievements, public interest in the subject remained limited throughout the Cold War period. It was not until after German reunification that the topic received significant scholarly and societal attention. Following the collapse of the Cold War order, historians specializing in the subject were able to access Eastern European archives and initiated collaborations with scholars from former socialist countries in order to collect and analyze relevant documents. Although these academic efforts did not immediately capture the public’s attention, the topic of “flight and expulsion” gradually entered public discourse－particularly in response to the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and to the debates surrounding Holocaust commemoration. The Centre Against Expulsions, a project launched by the Federation of Expellees, played a key role in bringing the issue to the fore. In this context, Andreas Kossert’s widely read 2008 publication Kalte Heimat made a significant contribution to elevating public awareness of the topic of the expulsion across Germany. Subsequent studies have increasingly framed the history of German forced migration within broader European and transnational contexts. In parallel, studies on the memory of flight and expulsion － particularly those led by scholars such as Eva Hahn and Hans Henning Hahn － have explored how this historical experience has been commemorated within Germany's culture of remembrance. More recently, in response to the large influx of refugees into Germany during the mid-2010s, scholars have begun reassessing the integration of postwar expellees by applying contemporary concepts such as Welcoming culture. These efforts aim to draw historical parallels between the reception of expellees in postwar Germany and the challenges of refugee integration today. This research approach may also be applicable to Korean society, which, despite having formed itself through the integration of numerous migrants and refugees in the aftermath of liberation and the Korean War, still tends to perceive issues related to refugees and migration as unfamiliar or distant. More recently, in response to the large influx of refugees into Germany during the mid-2010s, scholars have begun reassessing the integration of postwar expellees by applying contemporary concepts such as Welcoming culture. Such efforts serve to remind those who still view refugee and migration issues as unfamiliar or reject related discourse that these challenges are, in fact, deeply rooted in familiar historical experiences. This research approach may also be applicable to Korea, which faces similar challenges, and can contribute to a renewed recognition of its own history of accommodating refugees and migrants in the aftermath of the liberation and the Korean War.
Junghoon Shin (Mon,) studied this question.