“We” the Refugees: Reflections on Refugee Labels and Identities

Abstract

In this article the authors present an auto-ethnographical analysis, describing their personal experiences with forced migration. Using narrative passages, the authors problematize the way in which refugee identities are entwined with socially constructed labels. The authors explore the points at which self-identifcation negotiates with labelling in order to create new spaces wherein individual and collective refugee experiences mutually shape and transform each other. These new spaces emerge from an inclusive participatory socio-cultural and political process where the idea of “us” and “them” merges into a “we.” This article represents the culmination of the authors’ sustained interactions (in conversation, in storytelling, in shared analyses, in writing) and serves as an example of putting a new space into action.

From a "Limited Space" to a Much Wider Future

“…Most notable is the fact that the latter is acknowledged as a powerful political figure with a sense of agency and voice. The perceived vulnerability that defines the image of the female refugee in much of the literature asserts her position as a contradiction: it means being vulnerable and having to show this vulnerability in order to receive protection, while, on the other hand, having to show resilience to be respected (Vigil & Abidi, 2018). In a sense, this required performance of vulnerability was best typified by the image of the drowned Syrian refugee child, Alan Kurdi, which circulated in 2015 on a global scale and became emblematic of a certain kind of refugee representation.…”

“…Whether the label in the contemporary moment is perceived as "not a good term," not "who I am today," or simply a neutral part of a larger experience, it is under the rightful ownership of each woman to interpret for herself. Furthermore, as Vigil and Abidi (2018) state, refugees must seek an inclusive participatory sociocultural and political process to dissolve the distinctions that separate them from those who are normative in the nation state (p. 54). Even given these restrictions, it is important to note that both the refugee label and the labels attached to women offer Sarah, Leyla, and Flower a range of meaningmaking opportunities in relation to their past, present, and future.…”

Environmental, social and economic sustainability in the light of the geopolitical challenges of our age

“…Normally the services and facilities vary according to this labeling. The issue of labeling of refugees now does not only affect distribution of services but it reveals the political agenda and other external 'Othering' factors (VIGIL -BAILLIE 2018;ZETTER 2007). By taking up the issue, this study has been conducted to identify the reasons of labeling of the Rohingya people in Bangladesh as well as to investigate the implications of the labeling of their human rights.…”

Collective identification among the internally displaced persons in the Bosnian town of Bijeljina

“…Despite the fact that positive examples as the one above do exist, contemporary constructions of the terms 'refugee' or 'IDP' are usually based on negative image of these categories of population. As Vigil and Abidi (2018), argue, in contemporary world, the label 'refugee' is often used by states to dehumanize refugees and to garner support for securitized refugee policies, thus often resulting in the failure to recognize the humanity of refugees. The receiver state and other authorities tend to perceive displaced persons as an economic burden and liability, seeing them through the prysm of their vulnerability, while missing to recognize displaced people's multiple identities which are not strictly related to their displacement experience.…”

“…local population inBijeljina). What is more, these particular experiences have been singled out as important commonalities between Bijeljinan IDPs because they are seen as positive features, something that creates positive group distinctiveness, unlike the label izbjeglica Vigil and Abidi (2018:. 57) stress that "identity, and its fluid process of transformation, is subject to interact with previously established labels.[...]…”