Abstract
The “forced migration” concept can obscure how some people who migrate in this mode exercise a key form of agency. Some refugee flows occur when people reasonably reject options that might obviate the need to flee (e.g., abandoning their religious beliefs). A similar form of agency must be recognized regarding forced migration of other types: people facing severe economic difficulties sometimes become migrants by rejecting options that might secure their subsistence, and when that choice is reasonable because the alternatives amount to human rights violations, we should then describe their migration as “forced” even if it is not wholly involuntary.
Highlights
This paper identifies and remedies a significant elision in the way the concept of forced migration is commonly understood and used
This paper argues, that the broader concept of forced migration must find a place for the specific sort of agency already understood to pertain to ‘conventional’ refugees
Forced migration occurs when alternatives are lacking entirely and when there is no reasonable alternative to migration. This perspective is not contentious with regard to conventional refugees; the goal here, is to consider what it means in regard to forced migration more broadly, when the factors that induce people to leave have less to do with political persecution than with economic hardship
Summary
This paper identifies and remedies a significant elision in the way the concept of forced migration is commonly understood and used. This perspective is not contentious with regard to conventional refugees (on the contrary, it is entirely consistent with the 1951 Convention, which creates a framework for protection so that people will not have to abandon their religious beliefs or political opinions); the goal here, is to consider what it means in regard to forced migration more broadly, when the factors that induce people to leave have less to do with political persecution than with economic hardship This way of thinking about forced migration is intuitively attractive (even if it requires a more subtle use of the word ‘forced’); the goal is to articulate key elements of that intuitive understanding so that its assumptions and assertions can be considered directly. The conclusion raises the question of what obligations might arise for destination countries when instances of forced migration meet the conditions described here
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