UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO

DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology 2283F/001
Outline

Refugees and the Displaced: An Anthropological Approach to Forced Migration

5 January – 8 April 2009

Instructor: Randa Farah TA: Julianna Calder Butler

Email: rfarah2@uwo.ca juliannaTA@gmail.com
Office: SSC 3423A SSC 3301
Telephone: (519) 661-2111 x 85088
Office hours: Thursdays 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mondays 9 am – 11am
Class time: Wednesdays 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Bldg/Rm. #: TC 203

This course deals with populations forcibly uprooted from their homes and original
habitats due to: armed conflicts; famine, smuggling and trafficking; environmental
disasters; and ‘development’. The course deals with the causes and consequences of
displacement, drawing on case studies and covers key issues, such as: Legal definitions
and classifications, the refugee regime and its major institutions; globalization and
displacement, the socio-cultural, economic and political life of refugees in camps and
self-settled refugees; the relationship between refugees and humanitarian organizations;
refugees in Europe and North America; concepts of exile-home and actual repatriation
cases; ‘engendered’ forced migration. The course will examine displaced peoples as
subjects, and will study their perspectives, their struggles, social and cultural
transformations. I might also show documentaries, if we have time. The course is
interactive and requires the active participation of students in the learning process.

PLEASE NOTE: 1) You need to buy the course pack, which includes chapters from
books, but does NOT the articles, which you will find on my website at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/faculty/farah/

1
WEEK 1: January 7 Introduction to the course

DEFINITIONS, INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS, THE UNHCR

WEEK 2: January 14 Definitions, Refugee Law, the UNHCR

1. The 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees
http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b66c2aa10.pdf

2. UNHCR. Basic Facts. http://www.unhcr.org/basics.html

3. Chimni, B.S. 1998. “The Geopolitics of Refugee Studies: A View from the
South,” Journal of Refugee Studies 1998 11(4):350-374

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

WEEK 3: January 21

1. Colson, Elizabeth. 2003. “Forced Migration and the Anthropological Response.”

JRS, 16:1, pp.1-18.

2. Van Hear, Nicholas. 1998. New Diasporas: The mass exodus, dispersal and
regrouping of migrant communities. London: UCL Press Limited, Read:
“Migration crises and the making of diasporas”, pp. 13-62.

WEEK 4: January 28 2 PRESENTATIONS

1. Van Hear, Nicholas and Christopher McDowell, eds. 2006. Catching fire :
containing forced migration in a volatile world. Lanham, MD : Lexington Books.
Read: Introduction / Christopher McDowell, Nicholas Van Hear pp.1-14; Read:
“Afghanistan’s Complex Forced Migration” pp. 115 - 139

2. Marfleet, Philip. 2006. Refugees in a Global Era Marfleet. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan. Read: Chapter 1. Globalization and Forced Migration pp. 21 – 37.
Read: Chapter 9. Displacement, pp. 193 – 215.

HUMANITARIAN AID, REFUGEE CAMPS AND SELF-SETTLED REFUGEES

WEEK 5: February 4 TEST 1

2
 1. Harrell-Bond, B.E. 1999. “The experience of refugees as recipients of aid.” In
Refugees: Perspectives on the Experience of Forced Migration, Alistair Ager, ed.,
London and New York: Pinter, pp. 136-168.

2. Summerfield, Derek. 1999. “Sociocultural Dimensions of War, Conflict and

Displacement” In Refugees: Perspectives on the Experience of Forced Migration,
Alistair Ager, ed., London and New York: Pinter, pp. 111 – 135.

3. de Montclos, Marc-Antoine Perouse and Peter Mwangi Kagwanja. 2000.

“Refugee Camps or Cities? The Socio-economic Dynamics of the Dadaab and
Kakuma Camps in Northern Kenya.” Journal of Refugee Studies, 13:2, PP. 205-
222.

WEEK 6: February 11 2 PRESENTATIONS

1. Kok, Walter. 1989. ‘Self-settled refugees and the socio-economic impact of their
presence of Kassala, Eastern Sudan.’ Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 2(4): 419 –
440.

2. Malkki, Liisa. 1996. “Speechless Emissaries: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and

Dehistoricization,” Cultural Anthropology, 11:3, pp. 377-403.

3. Kibreab, Gaim. “Why Governments Prefer Spatially Segregated Settlement Sites

for Urban Refugees,” Refuge, 24:1, 27-35.

WEEK 7: READING WEEK (FEB 16 – 20)

EXILE, BELONGING, REPATRIATION, RESETTLEMENT

WEEK 8: February 25 2 PRESENTATIONS

1. Pappe, Ilan. 2006. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Oxford: Oneworld. Read:
Chapter 8.

2. Sayigh, Rosemary. 1979. Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries.

Forward by Noam Chomsky. London: Zed Press. Lebanon. London: Zed Books.
Read: Chapter 3 “The New Reality: 1948-1965.”

1. Denov, Myrian; Campbell, Kathryn . 2002. “Casualties of Aboriginal

displacement in Canada: children at risk among the Innu of Labrador.” Refuge,
20:2, p. 1-20.

2. Bose, Pablo. 2006. Dilemmas of Diaspora: Partition, Refugees and the Politics of
“Home,” Refuge 23:1, 58-68.

3
OTHER FORMS AND CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT

WEEK 9: March 4 TEST 2

1. Cusano, Chris.2001. “Burma: Displaced Karens. Like Water on the Khu leaf.”. In
Caught Between Borders: Response Strategies of the Internally Displaced,
Vincent, Mark and Brigitte Refslund Sorensen, eds. London: Pluto Press. Pp. 138-
171.

2. Pugh, Michael. 2004. ‘Drowning not Waving: Boat People and Humanitarianism
at Sea,’ Journal of Refugee Studies, 17:1, 50-70

WEEK 10: March 11 2 PRESENTATIONS

1. Black, Richard. 1998. Refugees, Environment, and Development, Longman. Read:

‘Forced migration and environmental change: the evidence’ in: 23-51.

2. Crepeau, Francois, et al. 2006. Forced Migration and Global Processes: A View
from Forced Migration Studies, Lanham : Lexington Books. Read: Chapter 4,
“Displacement by Development and Moral Responsibility: A Theoretical
Treatment, by Peter Penz, pp. 63 – 89.

3. Couldrey, Marion and Tim Morris. 2005. UN assesses tsunami response. Forced
Migration Review,. Special Issue, July 2005, 6-9

4. Fraser, Irene. 2005. Small fish trampled in post-tsunami stampede. Special Issue,
Forced Migration Review, July 2005, pp 39-40.

5. Danziger, Richard. 2006. ‘Where are the victims of trafficking ?’ Forced

Migration Review. 25, Pp. 10-12.

GENDER

WEEK 11: March 18 TEST 3

1. Giles, Wenona, et al. 1996. Development & Diaspora: Gender and the Refugee
Experience,. Read: The Perils of Storytelling for Refugee Women: pp. 164-174.
Read: Silent Screams and Hidden Pain: Barriers to the adaptation and integration
of Cambodian Women Refugees in Ontario 238 – 255.

1. Spitzer, Denise L. 2006. “The Impact of Policy on Somali Refugee Women in

Canada,” Refuge 23:2, 47-54.

4
 2. Summerfield, Derek. 2000. ‘Childhood, War, Refugeedom and ‘Trauma’: Three
Core Questions for Mental Health Professionals’. Transcultural Psychiatry, vol.
37, no. 3, pp. 417-433.

REFUGEES IN THE NORTH

WEEK 12: March 25 (Julianna) 2 PRESENTATIONS

2. Rousseau, Cecile, et al. 2002. “The Complexity of Determining Refugeehood: A

Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Decision-Making Process of the Canadian
Immigration and Refugee Board,” Journal of Refugee Studies, 15:1, 43-70

3. Andreas, Peter and Timothy Snyder, eds. 2000. The wall around the West : state
borders and immigration controls in North America and Europe, Lanham, Md. :
Rowman & Littlefield. Read: Chapter 3 “States and the Regulation of Migration
in the Twentieth-Century North Atlantic World 31- 49. Read: Chapter 12: The
Mobility Money Can Buy: Human Smuggling and Border Control in the
European Union, pp. 203-218.

4. Zurek, Yvette. 2004. ‘The experiences of women in Australian immigration

detention centres. Forced Migration Review, 20: 37-38.

In-class group activity

REPATRIATION

WEEK 13: April 1 VISITING LECTURER

1. Black, Richard and Khaled Koser, eds. 1999. The End of the Refugee Cycle:
Refugee Repatriation and Reconstruction, New York and Oxford: Berghan
Books. Read: “The End of the Refugee Cycle,” pp. 2 – 17. Read: “Repatriation
from South Africa to Mozambique – Undermining Durable Solutions?” pp. 85 –
108.

2. Allen, Tim and Hubert Morsink, eds. 1994. When Refugees Go Home. Trenton,
N.J.: Africa World Press. Read: “The Return of Algerian Refugees Following
Independence in 1962,” by Ammar Bouhouche, pp. 71-77. Read: “Studying
Repatriation as Part of African Social History,” by Terence Ranger, pp. 279 –
294.

WEEK 14: April 8 Review TERM PAPER DUE

5
 REQUIREMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS AND OTHER MATTERS

Prerequisites
Any full or half Social Science essay course and registration in any module in the Faculty
of Social Science. Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special
permission from the Dean to enrol in it, you will be removed from this course and it will
be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no
adjustment to your fees in the event you are dropped from a course for failing to have the
necessary prerequisites.

Plagiarism
Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words.
Whenever students take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must
acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by
proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic
offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar).
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the
commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the
detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be included as source documents
in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers
subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing
agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com
( http://www.turnitin.com ).

Assignments and Evaluations

1. Three tests 15% each 45%

2. Group Presentations 15%
3. Term paper 35%
4. In-class activity 5%

Assignments and Evaluation Details

Term Paper: Write a paper 2500 – 3000 words (marks will be deducted if student
exceeds maximum number of words or falls short of the minimum). It should be within
the bounds and related to the course and its topics, if in doubt check with your TA. Use
only scholarly references, internet sources (unless to access scholarly references) are not
acceptable (Wikipedia is NOT a scholarly reference and you should not use it for this
course). Please note that all papers should be handed in class and on time.

Your paper should begin by defining the topic of the paper, or the question you are
writing about. This section is often referred to as ‘the problematic’ or the introduction, try
to limit it to no more than two paragraphs. In the body of the paper, present your main
points, and ideas. The body is usually separated by paragraphs that are coherent, logical
and related to each other and to your main question or problematic. Finally, briefly

6
summarize the points you discussed showing how they supported your main argument.
Use direct quotes sparingly, it is always much more effective to paraphrase. Make clear
which idea is yours and which is not.

Additional reminders re papers: five scholarly references for each paper.

• Submit in class and on time, I will not accept the excuse that your
printer/computer did not work.
• You may use any style for footnotes and references. However, be consistent, do
not switch between styles.
• Enter title, student name and number, course number, instructor’s name and date
(separate page).
• Do not leave a space between paragraphs. You may use subtitles but do not
overdo it with subheadings.
• Double-space, use 12 point Times New Roman, number your pages.
• One inch margins on all sides and double space your paper.
• Please do NOT bind your paper, but make sure it is stapled.
• Read, revise, edit, spell-check and proofread

Do not confuse: it’s and its; here and hear; expect, except and accept; there and their;
effect (name) and affect (verb); cannot (one word); twentieth-century (hyphenate); do not
use slang like ‘ain’t’ or ‘gotta;’ do NOT ramble and repeat yourself; do NOT rely on
extensive direct quotes, paraphrasing is more effective.

An ‘A’ paper:
It is focused, creative, critical and has a clear topic and thesis, which is well-argued. It
demonstrates excellent use of the literature and available resources to support arguments
has paragraphs that flow: they are relevant and connected to each other and to the main
topic. It is easy to read and to comprehend the points raised. It uses proper citation;
writing skills; there are no grammatical or proofreading mistakes and typos; adheres to
page numbers required.

Tests: The questions for these tests include multiple choice, definitions, fill in the blanks,
true and false, short and/or long answers.

Test 1: Covers all readings/lectures/discussions and films for weeks 2, 3 and 4.

Test 2: Covers all readings/lectures/discussions and films for weeks 5, 6 and 8.
Test 3: Covers all readings/lectures/discussions and films for weeks 9 and 10.

Group Presentations and Objectives

Scholarly Purpose: The presentations allow you to investigate different cases and topics
on displacement not covered in the course.
Research and Oral skills: Presentations enhance your research and oral skills, and provide
you with the experience of communicating (orally) the results of your research and views
to others.

7
Collaborative work: Group work is important to train you in collaborative and collective
projects: how to organize your presentation, manage time and effort, and distribute tasks
fairly. Please ensure that everyone is involved.

Presentation Evaluation:
Please use only scholarly references, not the internet, unless these are scholarly
references and submit these to me or your TA in class with the written presentation.

Content: The group covers relevant themes showing they have grasped the key issues,
show opposing ideas and are able to answer questions from the class.
Background: The group provides their classmates sufficient background so that they can
position the topic in a historical period, a particular place and/or within larger debates.
Organization: The presentation has an introduction, a body and a conclusion that flow.
Cooperation: Even distribution of work in the presentation.
Clarity: The group makes a clear presentation, defines and explains difficult concepts.
Delivery: Presenters speak clearly and capture the interest of the class.

Those absent on the date of their presentation will get a zero, unless they have a written
notice, due to a medical or other emergency. Students who missed the presentation due to
a valid reason will be given an alternative assignment. Each presentation should not
exceed 25 minutes followed by a 10 minute class discussion. The group should hand the
Teaching Assistant a short report on how they distributed the work load (who did what),
along with their written presentation. All members will receive the same grade unless
absent. Upon completing the presentation, the group is expected to raise questions for
class discussion (two questions).

Class Attendance and Participation

A class attendance sheet will be passed every time the class meets. If you miss more than
three classes without a valid reason and a written note, 2% will be deducted from your
final grade. I will deduct an additional 2% if you miss class in the last three weeks
without a written note that shows there is a valid reason (e.g. medical reason).
Lectures will NOT be posted on the website, thus attendance is crucial. For more
information on absences see Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness at
https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index/cfm
Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students must read the appropriate policy and
what constitutes a Scholastic Offence at
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf

Visiting Lecturer: A visiting lecturer from Toronto will be coming to talk about Arab
and Muslim refugees in Canada, I expect you to make a special effort to be there, if
nothing else out of courtesy to the visitor.

Other Matters:

Class environment

8
The class is structured in a way that encourages you to take responsibility for your
learning, and to present your ideas freely and critically. Therefore, it is important that we
all work at creating a positive environment. Disagreement over ideas is healthy and I
expect you to be open with your ideas, to differ and engage in debates, even passionate
debates, but only with respect and not with hostility. By showing how and why you
disagree with a person from an academic point of view, you contribute to a friendly,
lively and relaxed environment and to a wonderful learning journey. Although a friendly
and relaxed environment is encouraged, disruption, disrespect and obstruction of the
learning process will not be tolerated.

Special Needs:
If you have special needs, make sure you inform student services at the beginning of the
term, so I can accommodate your special needs, if and when necessary.

9
 SUMMARY

DATE TOPIC FILM PRESENTATIONS TESTS/PAPERS

WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION
Jan 7

WEEK 2 DEFINITIONS
Jan 14

WEEK 3 GLOBAL
Jan 21 PERSPECTIVES

WEEK 4 GLOBAL Groups 1 and 2

Jan 28 PERSPECTIVES Presentations

WEEK 5 HUMANITARIANIS TEST 1

Feb 4 M

WEEK 6 HUMANITARIANIS Groups 3 and 4

Feb 11 M Presentations

WEEK 7 Reading Week Reading Week Reading Week Reading Week

Feb 16-18

WEEK 8 EXILE, Groups 5 and 6

Feb 25 BELONGING, Presentations

WEEK 9 OTHER FORMS TEST 2

March 4 AND CAUSES

WEEK 10 OTHER FORMS

March 11 AND CAUSES Groups 7 and 8
Presentations

WEEK 11 GENDER TEST 3

March 18
WEEK 12 REFUGEES IN Groups 9 and 10 In-class activity
March 25 THE NORTH Presentations

WEEK 13 REPATRIATION VISITING

April 1 LECTURER
WEEK 14 Presentation 11 TERM PAPER
April 8 REVIEW

10