In order to capture the bureaucratic and transformational power of labels, the UNRISD issued the statement "We use labels not only to describe the world, but to make it" in 1993. Contextualizing the quote in terms of the refugee label, the phrase "describe the world" refers to how different actors manipulate the refugee narrative to influence public perception and "make it" refers to how these perceptions shape decision making of a particular agency. Through a discussion of how the media, refugees, and states engage with this label, this paper argues that these actors manipulate the refugee label to serve their institutional purposes. This analysis is broken into three parts to contrast how different perspectives conceptualize refugees and …show more content…
In the process of portraying refugees solely as victims, refugee agencies appeal to people's emotions for donations (McAdam 2013). Although these external funds compose of a majority of refugee organization funding, the agencies objectify refugees by exploiting the images and experiences of the displaced. Through this exploitation, NGOs describe refugees as victims without agency, which in turn leads to public stigmatization of refugees (Ludwig 2016). The potential of the refugee label to generate funds and skew public opinion was highlighted by news agencies covering hurricane Katrina. Instead of the more accurate label "Internally Displaced Persons", the media chose to label these victims as "refugees" because this image of vulnerability was more powerful to viewers and resulted in greater public donations (Masquelier 2016). The rise in revenue for media organizations and refugee agencies are consequences of the "CNN effect". This phenomenon describes how media outlets provoke responses of empathy and charity from the public and by presenting images of global crises (Robinson 1999). In context of refugees and the humanitarian intervention, media and refugee organizations create convenient images not only of vulnerable refugees without agency, but also of a sympathetic and philanthropic public (Wood 1985). Through the use of the …show more content…
This stigmatization is dehumanizing not only because the refugee is portrayed without agency, but also because the refugee label has been documented to act as a reminder of suffering (Ludwig 2016). In her study of 50 Liberian refugees and immigrants in Staten Island, Ludwig documents the socioeconomic and psychological consequences refugees face given their label. Unlike immigrants, refugees are perceived by government agencies and the public as passive victims in need of aid (Ludwig 2016). However, this is in stark contrast to how refugees view themselves and their futures. In order to get refugee status, the Liberian asylum seekers have acted upon their own agency and left their homes to travel to the United States. In contrast to the media depictions, these refugees wish to take full advantage of the opportunities their host countries offer and achieve the "American Dream" (Kasinitz 2008). This dissonance between the media's narrative and refugee reality leads to the refugees' heightened sense of vulnerability and further social exclusion. According to the testimonies of Liberian refugees, many felt that bearing the refugee label also constantly reminded them of the persecution they sought to escape. This perceived lack of economic autonomy and recurrent memory of trauma have provoked a refugee counter labelling
Refugees share similar experiences and emotions when they move to a new country. The book Inside Out and Back Again splits these feelings into two categories, “inside out” and “back again”. Refugees from around the world experience these feelings. For instance, it is easy for a refugee to feel “inside out” when learning a new language, or they can feel “back again” when they find a familiar object that reminds them of their past. Many refugees mainly struggle with learning a new language, but to make them feel more comfortable, they can find satisfaction in items from their home land.
The article “When The Media Is The Disaster,” by Rebecca Solnit discusses the accounts that took place with the media and the victims during the Haitian earthquake. People were trapped alive struggling to survive. Many of these victims became so desperate for food and water they began to steal. The mass media interpreted their actions as stealing, characterizing them as “looters”. Solnit does not agree with the media labeling victims as “looters” because victims are being portrayed as something they are not.
Having been ripped from their world by violence and chaos, refugees find themselves adrift in a completely different realm. To clearly observe such a struggle, look no further than Clarkston, Georgia, and the works of author Warren St. John. In John’s novel Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference, the challenges of refugees in Clarkston are chronicled and encountered in many ways, including discrimination and bias from other races and cultures, inadequate English education in the past and present, and the desire to belong in a world refugees are not sure they fit
14 million refugees, men, women, and children are forced to flee their homes, towns, and family. The refugees are scared to stay but have to leave (Gervet). Refugees have to face losing a loved one to losing a little thing like a doll both hurts them greatly. Like many refugees, Ha the main character in the book “Inside out & Back again” by Thanhha Lai, have to face the similar losses as other refugees.Many refugees, like Ha, face the feeling of turning “Inside out” when they mourn the losses of their loved ones and their precious belongings, then they are able to turn “back again” with acceptance and support from their communities and friends.
The life of a refugee is not just a life of trials and ordeals, but also has rewards for those who pushed through the pain.
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a term applied to anyone who is outside his/her own country and cannot return due to the fear of being persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political opinion. Many “refugees” that the media and the general public refer to today are known as internally displaced persons, which are people forced to flee their homes to avoid things such as armed conflict, generalized violations of human rights or natural and non-natural disasters. These two groups are distinctly different but fall ...
This has led organisations such as Refugee councils and Refugee Action
Refugee is an important term and concept existing in international studies. In order to understand the problems confronting refugees, we must first know the definition and the concept of refugee.
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
Is working together really better? The New Groupthink causes classrooms around the nation to be arranged in such a way to encourage teamwork. This will help prepare students for the workforce, where they will be required to collaborate with others.Some suggest that this style of learning may not be as effective for other students, more specifically; introverts. Susan Cain is one of those people. Susan Cain is an American author and lecturer, as well as the co-founder of the Quiet Revolution, a movement dedicated to motivate introverts to create a change, no matter how quiet they are. Cain suggests that there should be a balance between collaboration and solitude in both academic and work settings.
When lines of identity inevitably blend, relative jurisprudence must be exercised. Lines make excluding circles and methods of excluding people from asylum; our international community divides into unwelcome and welcome nations. As discourse, cultural identity means translating beliefs and feelings from one culture to another. In the process of translation, a screen of cultural values filters understanding of the values and experience of the “other.” The simple word “refugee” evokes images and stories particular to a collectively defined identity, invoking “an image of the radicalized other” (Daniel 272).
This process helped transform their perceptions of refugees by confronting them with the experiences they faced as they dealt with the realities faced by refugees and asylum seekers. The journey faced by the six participants support similar ideas about ‘The Perks of being a Wallflower’. Both texts examine how the ramifications of an individuals discoveries change the way they perceive themselves and their world. Discovery in this case has the power to transform an individual by confronting them with either a new or renewed ideas, understandings and perceptions of themselves and their
America needs to accept the Syrian refugees because if they do not, the United States is abandoning its morals and leaving thousands of people stranded in danger. While Syrian refugees are often labeled as terrorists, they are actually the opposite. Through research by Lauren Gambino, Patrick Kingsley, and Alberto Nardelli, three writers from an English Newspaper, “The Guardian”, have found interesting results. They admit, “Syrian refugees are generally afraid of exactly the same thing that Americans are: Islamist terrorism” (Gambino 3).
A refugee is defined as an individual who has been forced to leave their country due to political or religious reasons, or due to threat of war or violence. There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014, 14.4 million under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 2.9 million more than in 2013. The other 5.1 million Palestinian refugees are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). With the displacement of so many people, it is difficult to find countries willing to accept all the refugees. There are over 125 different countries that currently host refugees, and with this commitment comes the responsibility of ensuring these refugees have access to the basic requirements of life; a place to live, food to eat, and a form of employment or access to education. Currently, the largest cause of refugees is the Syrian civil war, which has displaced over 2.1 million people. As a country of relative wealth, the United States should be able to provide refuge for many refugees, as well as provide monetary support to the refugees that they are not able to receive.
The first chapter of the book provides a highly informative background and history to the concept of refugees, as well as their relevance to the modern international political system. The authors importantly point out that defining a refugee is not simply a matter of academic concern because resulting definitions may mean the difference between life and death for people in conflict zones. Defining a refugee involves political and ethical considerations, inevitably creating disagreement regarding the issue. For example, when refugees are defined in a certain way by the United Nations, research will consequently revolve around such definitions and will help support the status quo of the institut...