“True Camps of Concentration”? The Uses and Abuses of a Contentious Analogy

Abstract

In April 2017, Pope Francis courted controversy when he referred to Greek migrant holding centres as concentration camps. In this chapter, I first briefly chart the history of the concentration camp as an institution and as a term, then discuss instances in which contributors to public debate have likened refugee camps and immigration detention facilities to concentration camps, mount a qualified defence of the concentration camp analogy and argue that the Pope’s use of the term ought to be seen against the backdrop of his condemnation of indifference towards the plight of refugees and other migrants.