Contemporary feminist imaginings of the refuge-space: implications for Black and ‘minority ethnic’, migrant survivors in the UK

Abstract

Since 2010, cuts to social expenditure as part of the UK government’s programme of austerity, along with a localism agenda, have resulted in the closure of many refuges for those fleeing domestic abuse, particularly those dedicated to serving Black and ‘minority ethnic’ (BME), migrant survivors. Understanding the refuge as not only a means of practical intervention but as a ‘spatial imaginary’ – a conceptual space in which transformative feminist work is understood to take place – this article examines the discursive construction of the refuge-space by feminist organisations which have mobilised to resist the state-sanctioned erosion of its real-world referent. Engaging with the refuge-space as a bordered site which regulates the material inclusion and exclusion of survivors, as well as the production of feminist knowledge, I assess its ability to produce feminist responses to domestic abuse which can ensure the safety of BME, migrant survivors in an increasingly hostile socio-political climate. Identifying the refuge-space as a site which variously delegates, facilitates and enacts social transformation, I argue that only a refuge-space committed to transforming the site on which it builds can begin to make safety possible for those living at the dangerous intersections of gender, race and immigration status.