The contemporary rhetoric around refugees and asylum seekers is one of vitriol and villainization. These narratives have social and political consequences, influencing elections and legislation around the globe. But how did we get to these assumptions and tropes that continue to scapegoat people affected by mass displacement? By understanding the construction of the concept “refugee,” students can trace a lineage of racialization and oppression back to the medieval Mediterranean. Green-Mercado asks her students to complicate the political script of migration and displacement by reading and playing narratives outside of the tropes handed down through time.