In October 2016 the newspaper the Guardian published an interactive database online with classified incident reports from an Australian overseas asylum seeker processing centre on the island republic of Nauru. The incident reports describe events that occurred within the Nauru Regional Processing Centre and this collection of over 2000 documents were given the name of “Nauru Files”. By using Nick Haslam's dehumanisation theory this thesis aimed to analyse the Nauru Files to find if the documents present evidence of animalistic and/or mechanistic dehumanisation. Upon reviewing the Nauru Files the author found four overacting themes; (1) deteriorating mental health for asylum seekers; (2) sexual assault, abusive behaviour and misbehaviour by staff, (3) incidents involving children and (4) misrepresentation of information. Furthermore, the evidence connected with these themes within the incident reports indicates dehumanisation, mainly mechanistic - meaning asylum seekers were deprived of aspects of humanness and were repeatedly treated as objects. Related to the Nauru Files a closer review of Australian immigration policies was conducted. The results show that the dehumanisation that is evident in the Nauru Files can be considered to be a product of Australia's long history of systematic dehumanisation of asylum seekers from non-European countries.

Recent policy changes have created a new era of refugee resettlement in Australia. As a result of the introduction of the onshore refugee program, a two-tier resettlement assistance system has developed. This system differentiates between refugees who have been issued protection visas offshore and onshore, and provides considerably less resettlement assistance to onshore-visaed refugees with Temporary Protection Visa (TPVs). The exclusion of TPV holders from resettlement assistance programs and the temporary nature of the visa has prompted this comparative study of the resettlement experiences of two groups of recently arrived refugees. This thesis considers the experiences of recently arrived refugees within the economic, social, cultural and political spheres of resettlement, in order to develop a deeper understanding of the inter-related nature of the resettlement process and the impact of visa category on the integration of refugees in contemporary Australia. Kuhlman’s (1991) model of refugee resettlement, and definition of integration form the basis of the theoretical framework of the thesis. A multiple method approach has been applied to the study and data from the second cohort of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA) was analysed to present a macro level understanding of the resettlement experiences of recent arrivals in Australia. In Adelaide, interviews with key informants and service providers were undertaken in conjunction with a series of in-depth interviews with 10 Sudanese offshore-visaed Humanitarian entrants and 9 Iraqi onshore-visaed refugees, to provide detailed descriptions of the resettlement experience. While the resettlement process is found to be difficult for all refugees, the TPV policy acts to compound the problems and disadvantages refugees face in resettlement. Under these circumstances it is found that TPV holders experience social exclusion during their early resettlement in Australia. The importance of host-related factors on the resettlement experience are therefore found to be extremely relevant in contemporary Australian refugee resettlement. Policies regarding visa conditions, and refugees’ eligibility for resettlement assistance have a significant impact in all spheres of the resettlement process. These findings suggest that the influence of host society policies must be accorded more weight in theories of resettlement, given their ability to extensively influence the resettlement process. Further this thesis presents substantial evidence against the TPV policy and recommends that temporary protection in Australia be reviewed, in order to ensure the social inclusion and successful integration of future refugee arrivals. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1277761 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2007

This essay argues that Sara Ahmed’s methodology for reading the emotionality of texts, through its focus on the relationships between emotions, language and bodies, can be applied to the emotional responses of Australians to refugees and asylum seekers. This essay specifically focuses on the emotions of disgust and pain in the participants of Go Back To Where You Came From, a three-part Australian documentary/realia TV series, because these two emotions’ preoccupation with surface and proximity provide a useful metaphor for what can be observed in the participants’ emotionality. Sensuous proximity in the form of sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing underlies the disgust experienced by the Go Back participants, while shared surfaces enable the participants to feel the pain of others. The essay concludes that Ahmed’s methodology is indeed an effective tool for analysing the emotions of people “affected” by the transnational movements of others.

This thesis analyzes the construction of children of Iranian asylum-seekers&rsquo / national and religious identity who are dwelling in Kayseri provisionally. Identity construction of the children was based on a &lsquo / flexible&rsquo / and &lsquo / malleable&rsquo / ground in the research. The research was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a selected group of participants. The participants belong to two different religious cohorts, Shi&rsquo / is and Baha&rsquo / is. Within the scope of the research question, national and religious of the children were investigated profoundly by taking into consideration of related identity theories. In addition, childhood experiences of the children were examined in order to find out if there is any interplay between childhood experiences and national and religious identities. It was determined that ambit of a contested process of identities, national identity enunciated its vigour by far for all the participants. It was also ascertained that while for the Shi&rsquo / i children, religious identity has reduced its strength / religious identity is still potent for the Baha&rsquo / i children in the host society. Moreover, the children&rsquo / s interrupted childhood results from their religious professions and their family&rsquo / s political views reconstructed in Kayseri. The participants&rsquo / interrupted childhood in Iran achieved a relative maintenance in Kayseri without any fragmentation due to relative free environment comparing to Iran.

Bakgrund: Immigranter, flyktingar, asylsökande och papperslösa tillhör samhällets mest sårbara grupper och löper hög risk att utveckla mental ohälsa relaterat till traumatiska upplevelser pre- och postmigrativt. Grupperna är underrepresenterade inom den psykiatriska vården och det råder ett missförhållande mellan behovet av och tillgången till vård för dessa patientgrupper. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka upplevelsen av den mentala ohälsan och hinder för vård hos immigranter, flyktingar, asylsökande och papperslösa ur ett transkulturellt omvårdnadsperspektiv. Metod: Tio kvalitativa studier och två studier med mixad metod har granskats och analyserats. Leiningers transkulturella omvårdnadsteori har använts för att lyfta resultatet till en högre abstraktionsnivå. Resultat: Tre teman identifierades: Den mentala ohälsan, Hinder för vård och Kulturellt betingade attityder. I resultatet framkom att grupperna lider av mental ohälsa relaterat till erfarenheter genom migrationsprocessen. Bristfällig information, kommunikationssvårigheter och bristande tillit till vårdpersonalen ledde till hinder i vården. Dessutom framkom att stigmatisering, religiösa övertygelser och könsroller påverkade fokusgruppens syn på mental ohälsa. Slutsats: Immigranter, flyktingar, asylsökande och papperslösa är högriskpatienter för mentala ohälsotillstånd men strukturella och personliga faktorer hindrar dem att erhålla vård. Som sjuksköterska är det viktigt att inta en aktiv roll och ha kunskap och förståelse kring dessa människors upplevelser och kulturellt betingade attityder kring mental ohälsa. Klinisk betydelse: Genom att belysa en marginaliserad patientgrupps upplevelser av att leva med mental ohälsa och erhålla vård i en ny kulturell kontext ökar sjuksköterskans medvetenhet om dessa människors situation. Detta kan leda till en bättre vård för dessa patienter. / Background: Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants belong to society's most vulnerable groups and are at high risk of developing mental health problems. The groups are underrepresented in psychiatric care and there is a disproportion between the need and the availability of care for these patient groups. Aim: The aim was to examine the experience of mental illness and barriers for access to healthcare of immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants from a transcultural nursing perspective. Method: Ten qualitative studies and two mixed-method studies were reviewed and analysed. Leiningers transcultural nursing theory was applied to enable a higher level of abstraction. Results: Three themes were identified: The mental illness, Barriers for care and Culturally influenced attitudes. The result showed that the groups suffered from mental illness related to experiences through the migration process. Inadequate information, communication difficulties and a lack of trust in the medical staff led to obstacles in healthcare. Stigma, religious beliefs and gender roles affected the focus group's view of mental illness. Conclusion: Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are at high risk for developing mental illness but structural and personal factors preventing them to receive treatment. Nurses should take an active role and gain knowledge about experiences and culturally conditioned attitudes about mental illness among patients. Clinical significance: Highlighting the experience of living with mental illness and obtaining care in a new cultural context, increases the nurses’ knowledge about the marginalized patient group.

The aim of the study was to examine collaboration and professional perspectives on the best interest of the child in regards to working with unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Firstly, our result show that counselling is available for the unaccompanied children from case workers, staff, school counsellors and emergency psychiatric care. All of the participants in this study describe the need for long-term counselling for unaccompanied children, however, providing the long-term counselling is not the primary purpose of the organisations in question. Therefore an additional service-provider working with counselling is a necessity. Secondly, the study explores the participants’ professional perspectives on the best interest of the child. The participating professionals work with the best interest of the child in accordance with their level of education and professional role. At the same time, they stress the fact that time, resources and other factors have an influence on their ability to keep the best interest of the child in focus. Finally, the study addresses collaboration between the service providing organisations. Collaboration does exist, but the participants wish for a development and transparency in the collaboration in order to clarify the responsibilities of each organisation. / Studiens syfte var att undersöka samverkan och professionellas perspektiv på barnets bästa i arbetet med ensamkommande barn genom besvarandet av tre frågeställningar. Den första frågeställningen rör de möjligheter till psykosocialt stöd som finns för ensamkommande barn. Vårt resultat visar att möjligheter finns i form av stöd hos handläggare, personal och skolkurator samt BUPs akutmottagning. Verksamheternas primära syfte är dock inte långsiktigt behandlande stödsamtal, vilket är något som samtliga respondenter anser att många ensamkommande barn är i behov av. Det behövs alltså ytterligare en aktör vars syfte är att arbeta med psykosocialt stöd för dessa barn. Den andra frågeställningen undersöker hur respondenterna ser på begreppet barnets bästa utifrån sitt professionella perspektiv. Samtliga respondenter har uppgett att de arbetar efter bästa förmåga i relation till sin yrkesroll och utbildningsnivå. Respondenterna påtalar samtidigt att tid, resurser och andra omgivningsfaktorer påverkar deras möjligheter att arbeta för barnets bästa. Studiens sista frågeställning berör samverkan mellan de verksamheter som tagit del i studien. Resultatet belyser att samverkan mellan verksamheterna existerar, men att respondenterna önskar en utveckling och transparens i samverkan för att tydliggöra samtligas uppgifter.

Titeln på denna studie är Internalisering av kategoriella par i form utav homosexuella asylsökande. Studiens syfte är att undersöka om och hur föreställningar utifrån ett heteronormativt synsätt, hos handläggaren på Migrationsverket, påverkar asylprövningen av homosexuella. Studien berör hur diskursen i samhället formar föreställningar av den homosexuelle mannen och hur dessa föreställningar blir gällande inom myndighetsutövningen vid Migrationsverket. Studien utgår från teorier av Michel Foucault, samt är kompletterad och avgränsad med hjälp av andra teorier, bland annat Queerteorin. Studien bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer av sju handläggare vid Migrationsverket, verksamma vid två olika kontor i Stockholm. Undersökningen visar att föreställningar om homosexuella förekommer inom Migrationsverket och att detta kan påverka utfallet av asylprövningen. Migrationsverket arbetar själva med dessa frågor genom utbildning av sin personal, vilket tyder på en insikt kring problematiken. Denna studie är en del av min kandidatexamen på Södertörns Högskola inom Socialt arbete med storstadsprofil. / The title of this study is The internalization of categorical pairs in the form of gay asylum seekers. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether and how the preconceived view of homosexuals from a hetero normative perspective, by desk officers at the Swedish Migration Board, affects the asylum trial of homosexuals. The study addresses how the discourse in society forms perceptions of the gay man, and how these perceptions become effective within the exercising of authority at the Swedish Migration Board. This study relies on several theories of Michel Foucault and it is supplemented and delimited by other theories, including Queer Theory. The study is based on interviews with seven desk officers at the Swedish Migration Board, active at two different offices in Stockholm. The investigation shows that perceptions of homosexuals occur at the Migration Board and that this may affect the outcome of the asylum trial. The Swedish Migration Board is working with these matters through education of their personnel, suggesting an awareness of the problem. This study is a part of my bachelor´s degree at Södertörn University in Social Work with urban profile.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how asylum-seeking refugees manage their lives in the situation they are in, a situation in which they are dependent and have to wait for decisions on whether or not they will get to stay in the country in which they have made their application for asylum.  The elaboration upon these questions and the purpose of the study is approached through a field study of asylum-seeking refugees from Afghanistan in Sweden. The thesis presents a background of international migration, refugee migration, refugee migration from Afghanistan and the reception of asylum seekers and refugees in the EU and Sweden, which tells us both that asylum seekers and refugees are not welcome in the countries of the ‘North’, where policies of containment and repatriation are the most common features of treating the refugee ‘problem’ and that the long period of waiting and uncertainty creates a situation of passivity and ill-health among the asylum seekers. Employing grounded theory methodology in different forms based in data from fieldwork, including participant observations and informal conversations, the study applies a constructionist grounded theory approach in the analyses of the situation and the management thereof. Steered by this constructionist grounded theory approach, strengthened by a situational analysis, the thesis presents a situational frame pointing to the situation for the asylum-seeking refugees as temporal and dependent on Swedish national discourse, racism and paternalism. With this background and frame and generated by data from the field study, the thesis goes on to present the situation as disempowering. The disempowering processes are illustrated through looking at dependence and inhospitality, and are characterised by the asylum-seeking refugees’ oscillation between feelings of hope and despair. It becomes, however, also evident that the asylum-seeking refugees take action and that they are supported by latent empowering processes. The actions taken are categorised as actions of empowering in opposition to the processes presented as disempowering. The actions of empowering are connected to keeping oneself occupied, searching for and maintaining social contacts and in the asylum-seeking refugees’ representations of themselves. From the presentation of the situation as disempowering and the actions taken by the asylum-seeking refugees in response to this situation as actions of empowering, a process characterised as seeking empowerment is presented. In this process empowerment is discussed as the establishment of power to resist. During the discussion of the concept of seeking empowerment it is shown how the asylum-seeking refugees in this study, through their actions of empowering, try to resist the disempowering situation. By seeking to establish power to resist, they are seeking empowerment.

Recent policy changes have created a new era of refugee resettlement in Australia. As a result of the introduction of the onshore refugee program, a two-tier resettlement assistance system has developed. This system differentiates between refugees who have been issued protection visas offshore and onshore, and provides considerably less resettlement assistance to onshore-visaed refugees with Temporary Protection Visa (TPVs). The exclusion of TPV holders from resettlement assistance programs and the temporary nature of the visa has prompted this comparative study of the resettlement experiences of two groups of recently arrived refugees. This thesis considers the experiences of recently arrived refugees within the economic, social, cultural and political spheres of resettlement, in order to develop a deeper understanding of the inter-related nature of the resettlement process and the impact of visa category on the integration of refugees in contemporary Australia. Kuhlman’s (1991) model of refugee resettlement, and definition of integration form the basis of the theoretical framework of the thesis. A multiple method approach has been applied to the study and data from the second cohort of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA) was analysed to present a macro level understanding of the resettlement experiences of recent arrivals in Australia. In Adelaide, interviews with key informants and service providers were undertaken in conjunction with a series of in-depth interviews with 10 Sudanese offshore-visaed Humanitarian entrants and 9 Iraqi onshore-visaed refugees, to provide detailed descriptions of the resettlement experience. While the resettlement process is found to be difficult for all refugees, the TPV policy acts to compound the problems and disadvantages refugees face in resettlement. Under these circumstances it is found that TPV holders experience social exclusion during their early resettlement in Australia. The importance of host-related factors on the resettlement experience are therefore found to be extremely relevant in contemporary Australian refugee resettlement. Policies regarding visa conditions, and refugees’ eligibility for resettlement assistance have a significant impact in all spheres of the resettlement process. These findings suggest that the influence of host society policies must be accorded more weight in theories of resettlement, given their ability to extensively influence the resettlement process. Further this thesis presents substantial evidence against the TPV policy and recommends that temporary protection in Australia be reviewed, in order to ensure the social inclusion and successful integration of future refugee arrivals. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1277761 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2007

In recent years, the field of queer asylum studies has slowly been expanding in different contexts across the world, with numerous methodologies and various topics of focus. In Sweden, the academic work in this area has mainly focused on legal perspectives. Providing a different perspective, this thesis examines the situation and experiences of LGBTQ asylum seekers and refugees in Linköping, Sweden through a community-based collage project. It examines how collages can be used as a method for research and a tool for community building within this context, and explores the experiences of LGBTQ asylum seekers and refugees in Linköping, Sweden, using individual and group collages. Using the concept of bricolage, the thesis ties together various artworks with short narratives and analytical interpretations. Together, they form a fragmented, in itself collage-like insight into this community. Through these fragments, the thesis reflects on the themes of migration, belonging, survival, and identity. Additionally, it explores questions of home, family, refugeeness, mess, homonormativity and representation. I argue that commonly used narratives of migration often do not fit this group, as they face highly complex forms of oppression based on their intersecting identities. Furthermore, the thesis examines the use of collage as a method by looking into the ways collage can negotiate methodological issues like accessibility and researcher accountability, how it can function as a tool for community building, and how it can be used to allow a community researcher to negotiate their positionality in an easier way. I argue that the use of collage has many benefits and that the use of the collage method in this thesis has enriched the research.