Transforming Lost Time into Migration Capital: Hazara Refugee Social and Cultural Capital Development in Indonesia

Abstract Refugees spend an average of 17 years living in limbo. This time is usually seen by refugees and scholars as ‘lost’ or ‘wasted’ time. Pierre Bourdieu theorized time as critical in accumulating social and cultural capital; foundations of socio-economic status. Families with greater economic capital can provide their offspring with more ‘time free from economic necessity’, enabling activities that will enhance their status. Time and economic capital are often de-linked by refugee journeys, stripping refugees of economic capital, but leaving an over-abundance of time. This paper uses Bourdieu’s work on time and capital to examine how refugees in one community use time during multi-year transit. Based on fieldwork with a single community, this paper argues that, rather than ‘wasting’ time, members of this community are using refugee time to accumulate social and cultural capital, which some then convert to migration capital and hasten their refugee journeys.