Refugia
This book utilizes a novel methodology, utopianism, to discuss and
analyze the problem of refugees. It is, therefore, critically engaged in
critical analyzing and uncovering of the current problem and in suggesting
radical solutions. Contrary to other academic studies it does not stop at the
border of what it is but proceeds to what must be.
The book can be divided into three basic blocks. The first block
critically discusses assumptions taken for granted by mainstream academics, the
second presents the common critical solutions to the refugee problem, and the
third discusses the Refugia proposal, which is the main contribution of this
book.
Firstly, the authors unpack what constitutes the postulates
underpinning refugee studies. They discuss state and nation-state as the only
basic political units, as the polis, and they show that there are many
other units - equally important to states - such as international corporates,
INGOs, and rich individuals. They discuss nation-state as a concept based on territorialization
and argue that de-territorialization can open a room for solution. They borrow
a concept from biology, Ecotones, which is the area where
multiple species interact, and suggest it as a concept that can serve to link
together refugees and others. Hence, instead of being confined to territory as
defined and formed by nation-state, we can think of a configuration like an archipelago,
where multiple sites, cities, camps, zones of refugees are interacted with each
other, with states where they exist, and with the places of origin. This
connection is fluid; it de-territorializes the nation-state conceptualization
of place. This archipelago is flexible and forms what the authors call:
Refugia. In Refugia, we have a mobility common as, for example, a square is a
common in a “normal” city and as overseas are commons today. Refugia is a
connection of refugee sites, running across a background of multiplicity,
fluidity, connectedness, and transnationalism. It is a project
for transitional solution for refugees, which also equips them with agency. Refugia
is a polis, sui generis one. This polis is not a series of cities, or sites
strictly speaking, but it is fluid connections of sites, of commons, of mobile
commons which could be a hotel or a hearth in a forest, of villages that are
all governed by and for refugees, trespassing the national boundaries.
Review of Critical Solutions:
I counted in the book around nine critical proposals to solve or to deal with the refugee problem.
- Arc of Protection, which is a book by Aleinkoff and Zamore. They assert the importance of agency that is endowed upon and impowered in refugees, the necessity of mobility, and the benefits of digital technology among other suggestions.
- Safe Heavens. Similar to the well-known safe zone concept, safe heaven is suggested as a way that international or regional intervention can provide for refugees where they can live freely and with dignity. Safe heaven is a concept that can be discussed along the spectrum of integration-incubation. While the integration pole materializes the most in Uganda, where refugees are granted wide rights, incubation is actualized the most in Jordan as exemplified by Zatari camp for Syrian refugees. This suggestion is championed by Betts and Collier.
- Special Development Zone. This suggestion is deeply discussed by Klian Kleinschmidt, which is close to the idea of incubation.
- City or island for refugees. Buzi has discussed this idea, which indicates that refugee problem can be solved by creating or assigning a spot of place for them, either it is a city or an island. Theo Deutinger, a prominent architect, has modeled this suggestion.
- Enclaves inside Europe for refugees. Similar to city or island for refugees, Menasse and Guerot have suggested to create enclaves inside Europe where refugees can live, practice their daily life and their identity.
- Welcoming cities or Sanctuary cities. Differently from the last suggestions, which are encompassed loosely by the term incubation, welcoming cities allude to a different conceptualization that tilts towards integration more than incubation, which is an approach implying non-discriminatory segregation. Cities inside Europe should develop at attitudinal and managerial dimensions to receive and welcome refugees. This approach has been primed by Mayor Ada Colan, who has led enormous efforts to issue a manifesto in 2015 in this regard.
- Incubator villages instead of cities.
- Charter city.
- Zatopai. A term that comes from Zatari camp in Jordan and Utopia. This suggestion was formulated by Femke Halsema and it refers to building better camps for refugees where they can practice their everyday life.
Although this quick presentation requires a deeper analysis, we can
tentatively classify these solutions or proposals in a matrix of four cells:
Cell1: {Integration: refugees’ rights and obligations of education, economic integration, etc. inside the national place}
Cell2: {Incubation: giving refugees’ rights and obligations in a
walled place such as camps}
Cell3: {Practice: educating, equipping with agency, providing
agency to refugees, etc.}
Cell4: {Scales: small village, cities, camps, scattered sites, etc.}
Refugia
The authors suggest a different approach, Refugia.
Refugia is a transnational space, streaming flexibly between various
sites across national borders. It must grant refugees assured life; life that is
scaffolded by confidence for both the individual and the collectivity (p.82). The
authors stress the importance of collectivity as they criticize neoliberal approaches
which refrain from bringing collectivity into consideration. In Refugia,
refugees (or Refugians) practice their collective social identity, although
they come from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. This collective identity
emanates from three wellsprings: trauma, survival skills, and homemaking practices
(p.83). Refugians are granted Seam Pass, a technical solution for identification
and mobility similar to Nansen Passport that was issued by the League of
Nations. They also establish a democratic regime that is similar to the agora system
of ancient Greece, but in Refugia men and women as equally represented.
The authors present their suggestion as a possible solution. They discuss many real organizations, policies, and situations which can be considered as embryos to Refugia, such as UNRWA through which Palestinian refugees across multiple countries practice and manage by themselves schools, hospitals, and other issues of governance, and through which their camps became similar to cities. This organization, or this configuration, can be extended as a solution to the refugee problem worldwide.
Quick critiques:
- The common social identity is problematic as the three elements (of homemaking, trauma, and survival skills) are at best very common and general to create a common social identity, and homemaking practices per se may require distinction from other homemaking practices done by other groups of refugees. Social identity is important but we need a different approach.
- Democracy: who said that refugees will welcome agora- (agonistic) or liberal democracy?
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