Children of the crisis : ethnographic perspectives on unaccompanied refugee youth in and en route to Europe

Lems, Annika; Oester, Katharina; Strasser, Sabine (eds.) (2021). Children of the crisis : ethnographic perspectives on unaccompanied refugee youth in and en route to Europe. Research in ethnic and migration studies. London, New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group

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Every year, thousands of young people on the run from war and persecution, or escaping poverty and chronic instability, make their way to Europe without their parents. Embarking on long and often dangerous journeys, they have either become separated from their families on the way or set out on their own. In recent years, the number of unaccompanied minors arriving in Europe has risen drastically. It has led to a major shift in perception in European countries, initiating a wealth of policies and infrastructures targeted specifically at unaccompanied child refugees.

This book investigates the emergence of the unaccompanied child refugee as a ‘crisis figure’. It shows how the sense of exceptionality attached to this figure translates into ambiguous and at times extremely contradictory social practices that have far-reaching effects on the lives of refugee youth. By bringing together ethnographically driven research on unaccompanied minors in some of the core arrival and transit countries in or into Europe, it shows the divergent ways ideas on childhood, deservingness and vulnerability are interpreted, lived, and grappled with on the ground. By laying the focus on young people’s own experiences and perspectives, it establishes a deeper understanding of the ways unaccompanied asylum seekers live and make sense of shifting social terrains.

Item Type:

Book (Edited Volume)

Division/Institute:

06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Social Anthropology

UniBE Contributor:

Lems, Annika, Oester, Katharina, Strasser, Sabine

Subjects:

300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology

ISBN:

9781032072524

Series:

Research in ethnic and migration studies

Publisher:

Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group

Language:

English

Submitter:

Anja Julienne Wohlgemuth

Date Deposited:

21 Apr 2022 07:16

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 16:17

Additional Information:

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue "Children of the Crisis: Ethnographic Perspectives on Unaccompanied Refugee Youth in and En Route to Europe" of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 46, Issue 2 (2020).

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/168216

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