{"title":"Doing Refugee Right(s) with Technologies? Humanitarian Crises and the Multiplication of “Exceptional” Legal States","authors":"Mirjam Twigt","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Like borders, refugee protection settings beyond the EU often serve as testing grounds for technologies. This article takes a socio-legal perspective to show how humanitarian experimentation in these contexts is made possible through different, interacting challenges to sovereignty. It argues that the understanding that actors or their positions are “exceptional” allows for and justifies data practices that would otherwise not be legally permissible. Examples of data practices in refugee protection settings are connected to work in geopolitics, science and technology studies, and sociology of law. The article shows how the position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as negotiator on behalf of refugees and an emergency-driven techno-solutionism not only interacts with the already precarious legal context most people seeking refuge find themselves in. It coincides with the legal positioning of International Organisations and with citizenship-oriented conceptions of privacy, further constituting people seeking refuge as (digital) rights optional. This is problematic not least because of concerns about adequate data protection or the implications of bias. Data flows and algorithms are generative of the politics of contemporary societies, implying that the structural undermining of digital rights of people seeking refuge in the present can also hinder their access to rights in the future.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"41 15","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135977505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Australia, Indonesia, and East Timorese Family Reunions","authors":"Nicole Schwirtlich","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad017","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In 2002 East Timor, following over 20 years of Indonesian occupation, became the world’s youngest sovereign state. The violent nature of Indonesian occupation between 1975 and 1999 led to the displacement of many East Timorese who sought asylum in countries such as Australia and Portugal. This article argues that by trying to seek asylum in Australia, East Timorese refugees complicated Australia’s bipartisan desire to pursue strong diplomatic relations with Indonesia. A hesitancy to recognise East Timorese arrivals as refugees, as a result of these priorities, was reflected through immigration schemes operating in the 1970s and 1980s such as the Family Reunion Program and Special Humanitarian Program. This impacted Australia’s ability to balance its national interests in the Indo-Pacific and its humanitarian obligations, outlined in international legislation such as the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Refugee Protocol. It also reflected broader diplomatic challenges Australia faced when addressing the situation in East Timor. Exploring this turbulent period in Australian foreign policy through the lens of immigration, this article contributes to research examining the role Australia played in the occupation of East Timor. It also investigates the meanings of dual representations of refugees as both victims and agents within migrant-centered historical accounts.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"22 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134908236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Making Room for Refugee Interpretation of Labelling: A Case Study from the Turkish–Syrian Border","authors":"Kathryn Hampton, Gökçe Türkyilmaz","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad015","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Turkey admitted millions of refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. However, the situation of Syrians in Turkey remains precarious under the temporary protection regime, unable to qualify as Convention refugees due to Turkey’s geographic reservation to the 1967 Protocol and with limited access to work permits and citizenship. Based on in-depth interviews, we provide a case study of refugee perspectives on refugee “labelling” as an absurd, historically contingent, and myth-telling process, which contributes to a growing body of research taking a bottom-up approach to understanding refugee protection. We put forward a refugee-interpreted view on labelling, finding that refugees explained labelling as an opaque and unpredictable digitised process, administrated through paper documents which act as talismans but also scams. Our study provides rich detail about how refugees subvert and cope with the labelling process through humour and mockery, historicity, and developing alternate forms of identity. We sought to use these interviews to work with refugees to turn a critical gaze on the paradigm of labelling from a refugee perspective and address the lack of empirical research centring refugee interpretations of labelling.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"43 6","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135219103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to: Subtracting Development through the Production of Il/legality of Young Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad016","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"218 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136038379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Critiquing Trends and Identifying Gaps in the Literature on LGBTQ Refugees and Asylum-Seekers","authors":"Diego García Rodríguez","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article delivers a comprehensive review of the English-language literature concerning the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, and queer (LGBTQ) refugees and asylum-seekers. Through an incisive synthesis and analysis, it identifies five pivotal themes: 1) journey and settlement; 2) legislation, policy, and charitable intervention; 3) health; 4) creative expression; and 5) religion, faith, and spirituality. This analysis uncovers gaps in the existing body of knowledge, charting innovative paths for future research and policy. This work transcends the boundaries of a traditional scholarly review to offer actionable recommendations aimed at guiding policy and practice. This involves pushing for strategies that are not just inclusive, but also rooted in overcoming Western-centric approaches to gender and sexual identities.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136079936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Idil Atak, Claire Linley-Moore, Julie (Ha Young) Kim
{"title":"Canada’s Implementation of the UN Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees: Advancing Foreign Policy Objectives and the <i>Status Quo</i>?","authors":"Idil Atak, Claire Linley-Moore, Julie (Ha Young) Kim","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad014","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Canada has been a strong supporter of the 2018 United Nations Global Compacts (GCs) on Migration and Refugees. This article examines Canada’s reception and implementation of the GCs in the policy domains of refugee resettlement, complementary protection pathways, gender equality, and migration governance capacity building. It draws on the analytical framework of “migration diplomacy” to argue that Canada’s efforts to carry out the GC objectives in these areas are primarily motivated by foreign policy considerations, including those with significant domestic implications, rather than efforts to ensure domestic alignment with the GC principles enhancing migrants’ rights and freedoms. By supporting the GCs, Canada has positioned itself as a global leader in migration management. Migration diplomacy has also legitimised the implementation by Canada of exclusionary refugee policies.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135579607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Critical Analysis of Japan’s Decision to Accept Ukrainians Following the Russian Invasion in 2022","authors":"Atsushi Yamagata","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad013","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan would accept Ukrainians who had fled to third countries. While this prompt decision should be welcomed, the Japanese government has been criticised for its reluctance to accept refugees for years. Because of Japan’s past restrictive approach to refugees and asylum-seekers, the decision to accept Ukrainians was met with surprise. Why, then, did the Japanese government decide to accept Ukrainians? This article explores the rationale behind this decision by analysing the language used by Cabinet members of the Japanese government in Diet discussions from the perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis, which sees language as a form of social practice. By adopting the concept of “ontological security”, or the security of self-identity, it argues that, while Japan’s decision to accept Ukrainians was prompted by its pursuit of ontological security derived from its international relations, its pursuit of ontological security rooted in its biographical narrative caused a desire to prevent this case from affecting Japan’s future refugee policy and to minimise the acceptance of refugees in the country.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41396194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subtracting Development through the Production of Il/legality of Young Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon","authors":"Cathrine Brun","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad012","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article analyses the production of legality and illegality of refugees and how it is experienced, negotiated, and shape young Palestinian and Syrian refugees’ possibilities for development in Jordan and Lebanon. In the two countries, refugees’ legal and illegal statuses are produced in the interaction between national and international security- and economic interests. This article discusses the meanings of development associated with protracted displacement. Despite increased emphasis on moving from a humanitarian approach towards development in long-term refugee situations, the experiences of young refugees in Lebanon and Jordan show that the production of legal status hampers the potential for development. This article analyses young people’s experience of their legal status by addressing the labour of staying legal, the experience of moving in and out of legality and its impact on education and employment. The analysis shows how the production of (il)legality is a subtracting process that leads to debilitation and constrained agency rather than development. In conclusion, this article thus reflects on the problem of using the development discourse with a humanitarian lens and the need for more critical discussion on the meaning of development in protracted displacement.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135263823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Staying in Tanzania or Returning to Burundi is all the Same”: Re-Imagining the Reintegration of Burundian Returnees","authors":"Theodore Mbazumutima","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad011","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Refugee return remains the preferred approach of States, donors, and UNHCR to put an end to the refugee condition. This qualitative study uses data collected through a series of interviews in a case study of returnees to Burundi between 2017 and 2022, to explore the extent to which the current reintegration can be understood as leading to an end to protracted displacement. In achieving this, the article also asks how the global refugee regime’s current humanitarian approach to return and its sedentary framing affect these processes; and the role played by human agency and mobility, including the impact of past displacement experiences, on these processes. The study concludes that, for many, the return to Burundi, whether it is the first, second, or third return, is often not ultimately understood as a permanent move “home” leading to durable solution, but rather simply another form of forced displacement. Unsuccessful reintegration following past displacements, policies conflicting with the best interests of returnees, and humanitarian approaches to return and its sedentary framing all emerge as major drives of this failure. Consequently, the multiple identities acquired by and imposed on returnees through these processes are essential for their survival in these difficult and constantly evolving conditions.","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135454408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas Maple, Kudakwashe Vanyoro, E Tendayi Achiume, Jo Vearey, Achieng Akena
{"title":"The Influence of the Global Refugee Regime in Africa: Still “Akin to a Distant Weather Pattern”?","authors":"Nicholas Maple, Kudakwashe Vanyoro, E Tendayi Achiume, Jo Vearey, Achieng Akena","doi":"10.1093/rsq/hdad010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdad010","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39907,"journal":{"name":"Refugee Survey Quarterly","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135089513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}