Serena Parekh is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northeastern University in Boston, where she directs the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Program (PPE). Her primary philosophical interests are in social and political philosophy, feminist theory, and continental philosophy. Her most recent book, Refugees and the Ethics of Forced Displacement, was published with Routledge in 2017. Her first book, Hannah Arendt and the Challenge of Modernity: A Phenomenology of Human Rights (Routledge), was published in 2008 and translated into Chinese. She has also published numerous articles on social and political philosophy in Hypatia, Philosophy and Social Criticism, and Human Rights Quarterly.

A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title
Winner, 2020 Book Award, North American Society for Social Philosophy

"Parekh...provides a valuable introduction to contemporary refugee issues, avoiding the jargon of the international refugee regime in favor of an informal, almost conversational approach...Her argument is indeed a moral one, that everyone must help ensure 'minimum conditions of human dignity' for all people. Since refugees are outside their own origin country, it falls to the more economically developed countries in the world to ensure those minimum conditions for them. The developed countries, she points out, 'are in a position to easily help,' as she calmly debunks the supposed dangers that refugees bring, whether in monetary costs, human security, or cultural coherence. Her description of the hazards in seeking asylum, the 'last hope' for many refugees, is appropriately grueling. Importantly, her discussion includes vivid case examples from the journalistic literature that underscore the pain, loss, and uncertainty of being a refugee...Highly recommended." -- CHOICE

"...[Q]uietly potent... The moral case for helping the world's refugees, solidly grounded in facts." -- Kirkus

"This is an excellent book, accessible to ordinary citizens and valuable for philosophers as well. It provides a clear overview of the moral questions raised by refugees and explains effectively why it is important not to view this topic solely through the lens of immigration to Western states. It links this philosophical analysis to compelling narratives about the lives of refugees. No Refuge shows why all of us are responsible for the plight of refugees, why we have a duty to address this issue, and what we can do about it." -- Joseph H. Carens, University of Toronto

"In this must-read book addressing one of the most urgent injustices of our age, Serena Parekh offers an empirically-grounded philosophical exploration of responsibilities towards refugees. Written with great clarity and sensitivity, this is real world philosophy at its finest. Now, more than ever, we need work like No Refuge. It demands a place on everyone's reading list." -- Sarah Fine, King's College London

"No Refuge is an important contribution by a leading theorist on the pressing topic of displaced persons. Everyone from concerned laypeople to scholars who study the global refugee crisis will profit from Serena Parekh's excellent book." -- Christopher Heath Wellman, Washington University in St. Louis

"Through first-person accounts of the dehumanizing conditions refugees endure, [Parekh] works to clarify the challenges for Western countries who provide asylum and the dangers faced by those who seek and cannot find it." -- Publishers Weekly

"... [Q]uietly potent... The moral case for helping the world's refugees, solidly grounded in facts." -- Kirkus