Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
This thesis shows that ongoing processes of overdevelopment and gentrification on the Outer Banks lead to both direct and indirect displacement, fundamentally altering the sense of place among long...Show moreThis thesis shows that ongoing processes of overdevelopment and gentrification on the Outer Banks lead to both direct and indirect displacement, fundamentally altering the sense of place among long-term residents. Direct displacement is understood as the physical relocation of individuals or communities due to rising housing costs and development pressures. On a more subtle level, indirect displacement is manifested in significant alterations to the natural, built, and cultural landscapes. Thus, while many residents can continue to afford living in their homes, their surroundings quickly become unrecognizable. Authors observe that such landscape changes, resulting from overdevelopment and gentrification, may lead residents to experience a ‘loss of place’. The research set out to explore this phenomena: do long-term residents, or “natives”, experience a loss of place, or ‘placelessness’, amidst ongoing development pressures and changing social structures? If so, how? Additionally, how do residents maintain their sense of place in the face of such displacement? The findings imply that those residents who manage to stay in place, despite rising costs, experience profound changes to their sense of place. However, residents also employ resilient practices in order to maintain their sense of place and retain a deep love of place amidst these rapid changes to their community, culture, and natural environment. The current written article is complemented by a 30-minute ethnographic film highlighting the complexities of place change and displacement for long-term residents of the Outer Banks.Show less
This thesis study aims to satisfy the need for a composite intersectional study examining the cross-border spread of the flight of Afghans and the attitude of the major donor-system of the...Show moreThis thesis study aims to satisfy the need for a composite intersectional study examining the cross-border spread of the flight of Afghans and the attitude of the major donor-system of the international community and its affiliated humanitarian organisations, such as the UN and the ICRC. The main hypothesis for which an exploration shall be sought is as follows. Strongly tied to the regional escalation of the Afghan refugee crisis, the international security dilemma has burdened an efficient approach to aid assistance of major humanitarian actors during and after the Cold War. An inquiry into the relevance of this expansive statement may result into a multi-layered explanation. Over a timespan of several decades, well before the turn of the century and many more recently, many Afghans have fled their homes to nations sometimes far and sometimes closer to home, into Iran and Pakistan which have functioned as host nations ever since the Soviet invasion of 1979. The latter host, Pakistan, has recently had severe difficulties with the high number of refugees flooding local border towns and into its second-to largest city Karachi. Host-fatigue appears to have caused police brutalities towards refugees who have settled in Karachi and Quetta, the latter being a popular destination among Pashtun refugees who have travelled across the Durand Line border for decades. The problematic attitudes of local government forces have sparked shock among the Pashtun refugee community, resulting in a group of tribal leaders organising a peaceful protest movement named the PTM. Such spurs of feelings of discontent with the status quo may very well result into less favourable protest movements, such has the past demonstrated. The plight of the Afghan cause ties into the extent of the security concerns of major international powers. Since the donors of the international aid system are often the ‘big players’ and member to the, however fictional, international community, the Afghan refugees are dependent of and victim to the mood swings of these actors.Show less
Current prevalent representations of displacement are ubiquitous and often deeply shocking. Previous studies of refugee representation have focused on the polarisation of pro/anti-refugee...Show moreCurrent prevalent representations of displacement are ubiquitous and often deeply shocking. Previous studies of refugee representation have focused on the polarisation of pro/anti-refugee narratives and highlighted patterns in their depiction at opposite poles (in humanitarian and media/political discourses). However, new methods and mediums for representation indicate the evolution of a third discourse which this thesis identifies. At once material, ethical, political and representational, the current crisis of forced migration demands response beyond the reach of governments, intergovernmental and humanitarian organisations. In looking to narrative to enhance our understanding of the contemporary ‘crisis’, cultural representations find new ways of responding to displacement and hosting— without which the debate cannot be advanced. This paper testifies to one strand of cultural engagement with forced migration by focusing on four narratives published since 2015. Reading across genres from fiction to life-stories to journalistic literature and theatre, this thesis examines new discursive approaches to refugee representation in Patrick Kingsley’s The New Odyssey, collaborative refugee writing projects, Voices from the ‘Jungle’ and Shatila Stories, and Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy’s play The Jungle.Show less
