Understanding protracted displacement through the dwelling

Abstract

While place is still a key dimension of how displacement is conceptualised and experienced, theoretical arguments around temporality and materiality have only recently taken hold in refugee studies. I aim to show the importance of adding the temporal and the material to place for more nuanced conceptualisations of protracted displacement and argue that this could help to shift policies towards a more realistic protection and assistance and a better life for people living with displacement. The chapter analyses the experience of Georgian internally displaced persons (IDPs), who were forced to move from Abkhazia during the 1990s and still live in displacement. From here I explore the role of the internally displaced in the urban fabric and urban change after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Hence, the chapter is an attempt to provide a deeper understanding of temporal and material dimensions through what could be termed a longue durée approach to conceptualising protracted urban displacement. The chapter first reflects on the limits to the current durable solutions framework and how it leads to a solutions lite approach for most displaced populations today. Second, I present the Georgian IDPs into the history and development of Tbilisi as a city, and the establishment of the so-called ‘durable housing solution’ is presented. I then analyse the temporal injustice that people in protracted displacement experience through these solutions lite. In conclusion, I reflect on how we can start a temporal insurgency that may help to escape the solutions.