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To build a home: the material cultural practices of K aren refugees across borders
Author(s) -
Smith Ei Phyu
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/area.12211
Subject(s) - refugee , context (archaeology) , forced migration , displaced person , confiscation , political science , gender studies , sociology , government (linguistics) , criminology , law , geography , archaeology , linguistics , philosophy
Civil strife between the central military government and dissident groups in B urma has caused the displacement of K aren refugees since the late 1950s. Fleeing the practices of armed groups that include the confiscation of farmland, forced labour and gendered violence, K aren refugees seek refuge along the T hai– B urma border where they are not recognised as ‘legal persons’ and therefore forced to remain in camps established from the late 1980s. This long‐standing conflict has resulted in one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world. Since 2006, the C anadian government has been re‐settling K aren refugees from this border region. Situated within this context, in this paper I explore Karen refugees' creation of ‘home’ through an examination of their material cultures. I argue that while the notion of home becomes destabilised at different junctures of displacement, phases of mobility and immobility nurture the creation of home. Through their material engagements with dwellings at the T hai– B urma border and in C anada, K aren refugees' everyday practices reinforce the specialised role of place within flows of movement. The bordering projects at the T hai– B urma boundary are reinforced and troubled by both the presence of these shelters, which serve as physical reminders of the ongoing conflict, and the mobility and immobility of bodies.