Question 3
Refugee camps are considered in the readings from several different perspectives. Reflect on how “the camp” as an analytical tool may be useful for humanitarian action.
The global proliferation of camps around the world has undoubtedly attracted the attention of many scholars, amongst them anthropologist who have studied and criticized their effectiveness, safety and governance, along side with their legitimacy.
Refugee camps are intended as a temporary solution to protect refugees, but the reality is that in many cases these camps end up existing for many years, undergoing processes of development and change, “resulting in substantial changes in the working of the humanitarian arena and the terms of service delivery.” (Hilhorst & Jansen, 2010:1123)
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With an estimate of over 1,500 camps hosting, at least, twelve million refugees and displaced people, Michel Agier talks about the “camps” as a global dispositive to manage the “undesirables” a place for keeping away those who are not needed in the globalized world (Agier, 2002,320), even though I agree with Agier to some extent I consider this perspective as somewhat dramatic, and not applicable to every camp equally as they have their