Stretching the Border: Confinement, Mobility and the Refugee Public among Karen Refugees in Thailand and Burma
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
In this paper, I hope to add a complementary perspective to James Scott’s recent work on avoidance strategies of subaltern mountain people by focusing on what I call the refugee public. The educated Karen elite uses the space of exile in the Thai borderland to reconstitute resources and to re-enter Karen state in Eastern Burma as humanitarians, providing medical, educational resources and help to document human rights violations and do advocacy work. In addition, local missionaries and faith-based groups also use the corridor to spread the word of God. I argue that Karen humanitarian community-based organizations succeed to stretch the border by establishing a firm presence that is supported by the international humanitarian economy in the refugee camps in Northwestern Thailand.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 1 |
Journal | Journal of Borderlands Studies |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 47-61 |
Number of pages | 15 |
ISSN | 0886-5655 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Feb 2014 |
- Faculty of Humanities - ethnic minorities, humanitarianism, compassion, privilege, Danamarksindsamlingen, Sianne Ngai, Didier Fassin, conflict, Borderline, Religion/politik
Research areas
ID: 102244437