Globalisation, liberalisation and the transformation of women\u27s work in India

Globalisation has set in motion large-scale population movements that render meaningless distinct categories of displacements. Yet, in recent years nation states have increasingly emphasized the distinction between ‘economic’ migrants and political refugees. This paper interrogates the overlapping processes of cross -border and internal displacements in postcolonial states. In particular, I argue that gendered complexities of internal and international displacement require urgent attention. Based on recent and ongoing ethnographic research among poverty induced internally displaced women in India and cross-border forced migrants, this paper considers the context of their experiences. Focusing on some of the shared spaces of ‘economic’ and ‘political’ dislocation I outline how women and their families cope as forced migrants and how women themselves view and assess their situation. Given the escalating regional conflicts and the inability of states to ensure the rights of their own citizens, this paper reflects on methodological aspects of researching women’s experiences of displacement

Infiltrators, illegals and undesirables : gender and forced migration in South Asia

It will be argued within this paper, that women’s experiences of displacement and exclusion need to be situated in the relationship between globalisation and neoliberalism. I argue that forced and economic migrations are closely related and are often interchangeable expressions of global inequality. Neo liberal globalisation diminishes all human pursuits into buying and selling. It is elites in the North who have implemented neo-liberal policies into both the North and South over the past twenty five years. These policies have resulted in the eradication of social safeguards which have led to massive gendered displacement. While globalisation may conjure up a vision of a borderless world, as a result of the free flow of goods, it is increasingly about borders which are both permeable and exclusionary. Under neo liberal globalisation borders are either enforced or ignored, according to the needs of neo liberalism. Within this paper I will argue that while women and children make up the majority of refugees and displaced people, women as refugees, are rendered invisible in many national policies which focus on asylum seekers as male. My paper will highlight the relationship between forced migrations and the concerns that nationstates have with their national security and border control

Neoliberal Globalisation and Women's Experiences of Forced migrations in Asia

The world is now characterised by extensive and rapid movements of people. An increasingly important issue for industrialised countries, such as Australia, is the rising number of people who are becoming displaced within their homelands as a result of a multitude of interconnected factors. The majority of displaced persons and refugees in our region are women and children. Yet, they are severely underrepresented in refugee determination processes, claims for asylum and settlement. This paper will examine women’s experiences of forced migration and the neo-liberal global context in which they occur. Over the past two decades the implementation of neoliberal policies in both the North and South have not only resulted in colossal displacements, but have simultaneously given rise to exclusionary politics. While globalisation conjures up a vision of a borderless world, as a result of free flow of goods, our paper will show that increasingly nation states have closed their borders to the displaced, emphasising the distinction between 'economic' migrants and political refugees. Based on recent fieldwork among internally displaced women and cross-border forced migrants in South Asia, our paper will map out the ways in which the aggressive pursuit of neo-liberal agendas and the rise of exclusionary politics, based on national security and border protection, result in greater social inequalities for women. By focusing on the ways in which women confront and interpret the commonalities and differences of dislocation, our paper will evaluate the contemporary applicability of the concept of "refugee" in postcolonial states and highlight the significance of gendered displacements

Development and displacement: Women's experiences of Flight and Settlement in South Asia

The process of decolonisation and the reconstruction of nation states in much of the developing world have resulted in mass dislocation and displacement. However, the goals of national development in post-colonial states are often at odds with the rights of minority groups. While refugees threaten to subvert the very basis upon which nation states base their legitimacy, internally displaced persons are symptomatic of ruptures within an ostensibly unified state. This paper explores the gendered nature of forced migrations in Eastern India. Drawing on specific case studies of poverty induced internally displaced women in the state of West Bengal and refugee women from Bangladesh I focus on how women and their families cope as forced migrants and how women themselves assess their situation. By interrogating the complex relationship between gender and displacement, marked by unequal economic and cultural domination, I analyse the efficacy of post-colonial states to ensure the rights of their citizens

Development and displacement: women\u27s experiences of flight and settlement

The process of decolonisation and the reconstruction of nation states in much of the developing world have resulted in mass dislocation and displacement. However, the goals of national development in post-colonial states are often at odds with the rights of minority groups. While refugees threaten to subvert the very basis upon which nation states base their legitimacy, internally displaced persons are symptomatic of ruptures within an ostensibly unified state. This paper explores the gendered nature of forced migrations in Eastern India. Drawing on specific case studies of poverty induced internally displaced women in the state of West Bengal and refugee women from Bangladesh I focus on how women and their families cope as forced migrants and how women themselves assess their situation. By interrogating the complex relationship between gender and displacement, marked by unequal economic and cultural domination, I analyse the efficacy of post-colonial states to ensure the rights of their citizens

Minority Women and Forced Migrations: A comparative study of flight and settlement experiences of women Refugees in India and Australia

This paper draws attention to the factors and experiences of displacement and the ways in which women cope with forced migration and resettlement. Through our comparative analysis of the resettlement experiences of women within the developing countries in the South Asian region and women from the Asin region who have settled in Australia, we challenge and problematise the various bureaucratic categories of \u27the displaced\u27 (such as political refugee, economic migrant, asylum seeker, illegal immigrant)