Asylum-seekers as Pariahs in the Australian State: Security Against the Few

asylum, Australia, media

Rohingya women in Malaysia : decision-making and information sharing in the course of irregular migration

This paper presents major findings of a project focused on the experiences of Rohingya women in Malaysia, categorised as ‘irregular migrants’. Malaysia has become a key destination and country of transit for many Rohingya fleeing Myanmar. The paper presents and analyses the influences on decision-making; the role of family; information sources used and their trustworthiness and gendered violence. The fieldwork was conducted in late 2015, including 350 surveys and 35 in-depth interviews. The research findings reveal a range of factors that affect the lives of Rohingya women and their families before and during journeys, as well as in Malaysia. These factors affect planning for the future and decision for onward migration. The paper discusses the details of decision-making and information sharing during migration journeys and provides analysis of women’s choices and the factors that condition decision-making. Given that onward journeys are often difficult or impossible, the conditions irregular migrants face during periods of transit are also a key focus of the paper

Visual and sensory stimuli, memories and uncanny connections

Today, images, photographs, artwork, film – indeed, all aspects of visual culture – are key forms of communication and interaction. Visual culture powerfully connects humans to convey emotions and meaning across timeand space, beyond the constraints of language. The sensory world gives complex feedback on the ebbsand flows of daily lives. The chains of connectivity between living entities defy the breaks and the disruptions. New digital technologies, together with the reach ofsocial networks, amplify the role of the visual

Visual and sensory stimuli, memories and uncanny connections

Today, images, photographs, artwork, film – indeed, allaspects of visual culture – are key forms of communicationand interaction. Visual culture powerfully connectshumans to convey emotions and meaning across timeand space, beyond the constraints of language. The sensory world gives complex feedback on the ebbsand flows of daily lives. The chains of connectivitybetween living entities defy the breaks and the disruptions.New digital technologies, together with the reach ofsocial networks, amplify the role of the visual

New Vulnerabilities for Migrants and Refugees in State Responses to the Global Pandemic, COVID-19

This article examines the global pandemic, COVID-19, through the lens of responses to vulnerable migrants, asking what state responses mean for the future of human rights values and for humanitarian interventions. The responses of the Australian state are developed as a case study of actions and policies directed at refugees and temporary migrant workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical framing of the article draws on racial capitalism to argue that the developments manifest during the crisis times of COVID-19 are in large part a continuity of the exclusionary politics of bordering practices at the heart of neoliberal capitalism. The article proposes that a rethinking of foundational theoretical and methodological approaches in the social sciences are needed to reflect contemporary changes in justice claims, claims that increasingly recognize the multi-species nature of existential threats to all life

Fault-lines in temporary migration schemes : The case of Australia and the legacies of settler-colonial mentalities in the exploitation of temporary non-citizens

We evaluate the complexity of temporary migration schemes in contrast to the longstanding approach to immigration as a key aspect of nation-building in settler societies. Until the early 1990s, predominantly one-way, permanent immigration schemes were preferred in settler societies such as Australia. In an increasingly fluid global context, temporary migrants are more susceptible to forms of abuse and exploitation in a host society, with fewer forms of redress due to their status as non-citizens and non-permanent residents. Taking a specific focus upon Australia, we contextualize the experiences of temporary migrants both prior to and under the conditions of COVID-19. Our key argument is that temporary migration schemes are organised and structured not only to favour states, as well as employers and businesses, but that the stripping back of rights to those who enter these schemes is a deliberative aspect of the state approach