Rethinking Refugees Beyond States of Emergency

by Peter Nyers

Rethinking Beyond State of Emergency examines the ways in which refugees have been made objects of the complex discourse, practices, and strategies of humanitarianism making visible the link between our knowledge of refugees and questions about the changing status of political power, space, and identity. The author draws upon post-structural analytical tools to develop a critique of humanitarianism and to sketch a bio-political framework for understanding the relationship between the humanity of refugees and their capacity, or lack thereof, for political voice and action. Rethinking Refugees is a radically fresh approach to understanding refugees, their movements, and their place within an increasingly globalized international politics.

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2005

Reviews

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen! I am not the biggest supporter of critical theory and I come at this as someone who really values the state and the international system. Because of that, I disagreed with many parts of the book. It often felt like it blamed the flaws of humanitarianism and the temporary nature of refugee status on sovereignty itself, which is not something I buy. I cannot imagine a world without borders or statehood, so some of the arguments were hard for me to accept.

Even with all of that, I would not call this a bad book. It was written well, it put refugees first, and it made me rethink what it actually means to be a refugee and how that fits with both humanitarianism and the state. I especially liked the state of emergency idea and the point that refugees need to be treated more permanently for everyone to benefit. I was not convinced by the refugee warriors idea and the book did not offer solutions to the sovereignty problem, but it still pushed me to think. Overall, I disagreed with a lot of it, but it’s good to be challenged.