Panel: The Socio-Political Dimensions of Refugee Hosting in Africa

Abstract

The African continent has a long history of refugee hosting, dating back not least to the independence movements in the 1950s and 1960s. However, there are vast differences among different countries in the reception of refugees and significant changes over time. Take East Africa, where the post-independence ‘open door’ policy in Tanzania ended in the 1990s. Kenya’s securitized encampment policy is still in place while Uganda - once also a refugee-sending country - now boasts a long tradition as ‘progressive’ refugee host.

This panel aims to highlight the complexities of refugee hosting in Africa, considering the varying socio-political dimensions therein. For one, what are the particular historical contexts of the region, including the post-colonial complexities that give rise to policies related to refugee hosting, including encampment or securitisation processes? How do such contexts translate into forms of categorisations between refugees, migrants and other displaced persons? Second, who are the actors contributing to the way that refugee hosting has and is evolving? Beyond state actors, how do external ‘development’ actors set certain agendas, how are these co-opted or resisted by civil society organisations including refugee-led organisations? Lastly, acknowledging that the region is instrumental for the development of refugee studies as a scholarly field and the future of refugee hosting, the panel also welcomes contribution that consider questions of knowledge production on refugee hosting, including on alternative conceptualisation and African epistemologies of understanding refugees.

hybrid event