Managing displacement : refugees and the politics of humanitarianism

Jennifer Hyndman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Annotation Media images of people whose lives are destroyed by international and civil conflicts have long engaged our imaginations and emotions. But what happens to these refugees after displacement, and who takes on the responsibility of reconstructing shattered lives? Since the end of the Cold War, patterns of refugee management have changed dramatically, as states look to avoid the legal obligations and costs of asylum. Working for humanitarian agencies in Kenya and Somalia, Jennifer Hyndman determined that in spite of their best efforts, too often the camps in which these agencies operate can offer only a short-term palliative. In Managing Displacement, Hyndman uses unique insider knowledge both to challenge the political and cultural assumptions of current humanitarian practices and to expose the distancing strategies that characterize present operations. Managing Displacement looks specifically at the powerful organizations that serve refugees -- particularly the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Hyndman provides a close reading of humanitarianism on the ground as she examines the policies and practices of the organization at various levels. She offers constructive criticism of organizations like UNHCR, discerning patterns of "ordering disorder" and "disciplining displacement" in their responses to emergencies Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 List of Abbreviations......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 1. Scripting Humanitarianism: A Geography of "Refugee" and the Respatialization of Response......Page 32 2. Border Crossings: The Politics of Mobility......Page 60 3. Managing Difference: Gender and Culture in Humanitarian Emergencies......Page 92 4. In the Field: Camps, Compounds, and Other Spaces......Page 118 5. Ordering Disorder: Sitreps, Headcounts, and Other Instruments......Page 148 6. Crossing Borders in Theory and Practice......Page 180 7. Beyond the Status Quo......Page 200 Notes......Page 224 Bibliography......Page 260 C......Page 278 G......Page 279 I......Page 280 O......Page 281 S......Page 282 U......Page 283 Z......Page 284