Where is Home without Legal Status? Understanding the Choice to Stay Among Post-Cessation Liberians in Nigeria

IF 1.4 Q3 DEMOGRAPHY

Refugee Survey Quarterly Pub Date : 2023-10-31 DOI:10.1093/rsq/hdad019

Tosin Samuel Durodola

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the experiences of “residual” Liberian refugees in Nigeria, individuals who remained in their country of asylum after the UNHCR terminated their refugee status. This study explores how the diverse interpretations of home and flight contribute to their decision to “stay” rather than opt for voluntary repatriation. In the context of transnationalism, the concept of simultaneity, where individuals feel a sense of belonging in both their home country and their host nation, underscores the need to consider the dynamics of movement and attachment in both places, and how these connections evolve over time. However, the idealisation of home as an unchanging and secure haven can result in flawed policy decisions that overlook the fact that many refugees have been displaced precisely because their homeland is no longer safe. The findings shed light on the aftermath of cessation, which might place “residual refugees” in a precarious position where they must navigate the intricate interplay between agency and constraint without state protection. This article offers a broader perspective on their ability to manoeuvre within these confines, balancing between two aspects: legal status and social leverage as responses to their precarious legal situation and transitional efforts to establish new homes.

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没有法律地位的家在哪里?了解在尼日利亚戒烟后利比里亚人的选择

本文考察了在尼日利亚的“残余”利比里亚难民的经历，这些人在联合国难民署终止其难民身份后仍留在其庇护国。本研究探讨了对家园和逃亡的不同解释是如何促使他们决定“留下来”而不是选择自愿遣返的。在跨国主义的背景下，同时性的概念，即个人在母国和东道国都有归属感，强调了考虑两个地方的运动和依恋的动态，以及这些联系如何随着时间的推移而演变的必要性。然而，将家园理想化为一个不变的安全避风港，可能导致有缺陷的政策决定，忽视了许多难民流离失所正是因为他们的家园不再安全的事实。调查结果揭示了停止的后果，这可能使“剩余难民”处于危险的境地，他们必须在没有国家保护的情况下，在机构和约束之间错综复杂的相互作用中导航。这篇文章提供了一个更广阔的视角来看待他们在这些限制范围内进行操作的能力，在两个方面之间取得平衡:法律地位和社会影响力，作为对他们不稳定的法律状况和建立新家园的过渡努力的回应。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Refugee Survey Quarterly Social Sciences-Political Science and International Relations

CiteScore

2.40

自引率

8.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Refugee Survey Quarterly is published four times a year and serves as an authoritative source on current refugee and international protection issues. Each issue contains a selection of articles and documents on a specific theme, as well as book reviews on refugee-related literature. With this distinctive thematic approach, the journal crosses in each issue the entire range of refugee research on a particular key challenge to forced migration. The journal seeks to act as a link between scholars and practitioners by highlighting the evolving nature of refugee protection as reflected in the practice of UNHCR and other major actors in the field.