Temporal logics in urban place-making: the case of refugee-background Ethiopians in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT The human sense of temporality – the way we experience time – has become a major focus in urban geography and in research on human migration. However, little has been written about how refugee place-making activities are temporally mediated. For refugees – especially those from rural backgrounds – navigating unfamiliar urban temporalities is an important and overlooked layer within the broader challenge of settlement. This paper draws on 52 interviews with refugee-background Ethiopians in Australia, from both urban and rural backgrounds. It examines their experiences of place-making, studying how they have adapted to fast-paced urban life in Melbourne, and have negotiated the tensions between what we call the “temporal logics” of their settlement and pre-settlement locations. We highlight implications for policies concerning refugee settlement, concluding that successful settlement requires consideration of the temporal aspects of the challenges that refugees face.