International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Rethinking Internal Displacement: History, Concepts, and Contemporary Drivers and Challenges

Internal displacement is a major humanitarian and human rights challenge in the contemporary world. Although often associated with armed conflict and disasters, it is neither a recent phenomenon nor one confined to emergency situations. This article rethinks internal displacement by examining its historical evolution, conceptual foundations, and contemporary drivers and challenges. Drawing on a qualitative, conceptual, and analytical approach based on secondary literature, policy documents, and institutional reports, the study traces the emergence of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a distinct category within international human rights discourse. It explores the development of normative frameworks, particularly the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, and distinguishes internal displacement from migration and refugee while recognizing their interconnections. The article further employs the drivers and triggers framework to explain how structural vulnerabilities such as poverty, inequality, weak governance, environmental degradation, and social exclusion interact with immediate shocks, including conflict, disasters, development projects, and conservation interventions, to produce displacement. The article argues that internal displacement should be understood not as an isolated humanitarian event but as a historically continuous and structurally embedded process linked to broader patterns of political, economic, and environmental transformation. By integrating historical, conceptual, and contemporary perspectives, the article contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of internal displacement and highlights the need for rights-based, preventive, and long-term policy responses to address its growing scale and complexity. Keywords: Internal displacement, internally displaced persons, forced migration, human rights, displacement drivers, displacement triggers.