Abstract

ALICE SZCZEPANIKOVADepartment of Gender Studies, Central European University, Budapestalice.szczepanikova@gmail.comThis article aims to give an account of how refugees’ family relations are construc-tedinexile.ItisbasedonfieldworkconductedamongChechenasylumseekerslivingin a refugee camp in the Czech Republic in April 2004. It argues that althoughtraditional norms defining women’s and men’s position in Chechen families haveoften beentransgressed in the actualexperiences of menand women in situations ofemergencysuchaswar,flightandlifeinthecamp,theyremainrelativelyunchangedat the level of refugees’ ideal notions of femininity and masculinity. It also showsthat the environment of the refugee camp provides, on the one hand, some oppor-tunities for the increase of women’s power in the family and men’s involvement inchildcare and household duties. But on the other hand, the assistance in the camp isbasedonanundiversified andgender-blind perceptionandconstructionofrefugeesas passive objects of aid, and latently sustains gendered violence.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.