Cities Of Refuge Research Articles

Temporary protection, refugee fatigue and political discontent in European Union cities of refuge

Experience with the recent activation of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) in the European Union has demonstrated its virtues as an emergency policy response to mass influx situations. However, in the absence of a long-term strategy to alleviate pressure, there is a risk that a sense of fatigue will emerge and intensify in cities of refuge, with this commentary presenting prima facie evidence of this issue. To mitigate the potential effect that refugee fatigue might have in terms of political discontent, we advocate a new temporary protection approach that embraces a genuine multi-level governance that recognises cities as key actors in refugee reception. The paradigm shift should prioritise cities when allocating funds to build reception capacity, as well as acknowledge the urgency of city-led relocation initiatives to alleviate the strain on overburdened cities. Finally, this commentary suggests the need to address one of the main drivers of fatigue: the uncertainty regarding the future for millions of Ukrainians once the TPD expires.

Community-building for educational equity: fostering relationships between schools and refugee families

This paper seeks to understand how one community-based organization, City of Refuge (COR), bridges relationships between refugees and local public and private schools through the work of a K-12 school liaison. Specifically, this research is interested how the liasion1) builds or enhances recognition for refugees in schools to overcome misrecognition or denial of recognition of refugees’ access to education, and 2) the skills and practices she uses to do so. This paper presents the results from a fourteen-month long study that takes a microethnographic approach to case study. The findings show that the liaison attended to basic impediments to refugee students’ educational access; capitalized on pre-established relationships and networks in the community to increase the flow of information to refugee families and connect them with school personnel and resources; and educated teachers and school staff about the refugee communities and also shared learning opportunities with refugee families. The findings in this paper highlight that refugees are still denied recognition of respect and self-esteem, even in districts experienced in working with a variety of immigrant populations. This study provides evidence that liaisons for CBOs who have insights into the varying contexts and natures of schools and communities can be assets to identify how and where gaps exist so that appropriate support can be implemented.

Anarchy, Militancy, Transactional Sex and Homo Sacer in Samar Yazbek’s The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria

This paper delves into the complex dynamics of the Syrian Civil War, scrutinizing how totalitarianism catalyzes uprisings that lead to a multitude of consequences, including the displacement of innocent populations, the emergence of bare life conditions, the rise of militancy, and the prevalence of dissensus. The study also explores the ethical responsibility framework proposed by Emmanuel Levinas, particularly focusing on his works “Cities of Refuge” and “Totality and Infinity,” which underscores the importance of responding to the call of the Other. The author offers a multifaceted analysis of Samar Yazbek’s experiences in Syria, where she consistently places herself at great risk to aid fellow citizens, establish educational institutions, and empower widows. This first-hand account illustrates the dire circumstances faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to the oppressive rule of Bashar al-Assad, exposing the stark reality of their struggle for basic human needs, such as food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Finally, the article proposes potential solutions to the ongoing crisis, emphasizing the need for a political solution, international cooperation, and an expansion of the concept of “unconditional hospitality” as advocated by Derrida. The paper highlights the critical importance of acknowledging the rights and dignity of IDPs and refugees and offers a comprehensive analysis of the Syrian conflict through various theoretical lenses, including Hannah Arendt’s concept of “bare life” and the potential for a political resolution. This study ultimately contributes to a deeper understanding of the Syrian Civil War and its impact on the lives of those directly affected by the conflict.

Paul R. Hinlicky. Joshua

Paul R. Hinlicky. <i>Joshua</i>

A Refuge for Killers? A Problematic for the Contemporary Appropriation of ‘Cities of Refuge’ Texts

A Refuge for Killers? A Problematic for the Contemporary Appropriation of ‘Cities of Refuge’ Texts

Cities of Refuge: An Exploration of Sanctuary and Restorative Culture in the Hebrew Bible

The cities of refuge as detailed in the Deuteronomic witness in the Hebrew Bible have served as the inspiration and model for the practice of providing sanctuary for many throughout the centuries, namely with the most recent Sanctuary movements in the US and the UK in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. And yet, its biblical witness as to its implementation and effectiveness is practically silent. Using methods of biblical studies via liberation hermeneutics and theological ethics from both the Jewish and Christian traditions, the following questions will be explored: What were the cities of refuge? How were they to be set up? What are the theological and ethical questions at play in the biblical witness as to their use? What relevance, if any, do they have for us today?

Historical Books

Historical Books Christopher T. Begg and Leslie J. Hoppe Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Leslie J. Hoppe OFM, Catholic Theological Union 1739. [Joshua 20–22] Erasmus Gaẞ, Asyl, Leviten und ein Altar. Eine literarhistorische Analyse von Joshua 20–22 (FAT 144; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2021). Pp. vii + 304. €134. ISBN 978-3-16-159830-2. The three chapters of G.'s (sub-)title constitute an appendix to the account of the partitioning of the newly occupied land in Joshua 13–19 (previously treated by G. in a monograph of 2019), each of which has its own content focus that is alluded to in G.'s three-word main title: the cities of refuge (Joshua 20), the Levitical cities (Joshua 21), and the altar of the Transjordanian tribes (Joshua 22). G.'s aim in the present volume is to reconstruct the formation-history of the three chapters in a way that takes into account all relevant evidence—text-critical, literary-critical, redaction-critical, and intra- and intertextual (as well as the long-running scholarly discussion of this evidence). Among his findings are the following: Joshua 22* is the conclusion of a P segment in Joshua 13–19* which itself rounds off the P account of Israel's time in the Transjordan as recounted in Numbers 26–36* and as such constituted the finale of a "Hexateuch." Joshua 21, for its part, was initially composed on the basis of two preexisting lists, independently of the materials that now precede and follow it. Joshua 20, by contrast, was composed in view of Joshua 21, with which it was eventually combined. At a still later point, this complex was incorporated into the P narrative in Joshua 13–19, 22 by a Deuteronomistic redactor who inserted the [End Page 634] resultant segment Joshua 13–22* into the earlier Deuteronomistic Book of Joshua, chaps. 1–12* and 23–24*, resulting in a Vorform of the Book of Joshua whose various components subsequently underwent a series of late P and Deuteronomistic supplementations that eventually gave rise to the extant (MT) Book of Joshua. Throughout, G. underscores the need, in text-historical reconstructions like this, to make use of all relevant evidence—something that previous scholars have often failed to do—as well as the ambiguity of so much of that evidence which may be accounted for in alternative ways (or may resist any satisfactory "solution"), a state of affairs that renders any proposed reconstruction—including of course his own—non-definitive and always open to revision. The volume's end matter comprises a series of appendixes in which G. reproduces the materials of Joshua 20–22 with the component strata distinguished by different typefaces, a bibliography, and various indexes.—C.T.B. Google Scholar 1740. [Late Hebrew in the Book of Judges] Alexander Müller, Historische Linguistik und Redaktionsgeschichte. Spätbiblisches Hebräisch im Richterbuch (AKM 121; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2021). Pp. x + 181. Paper €48. ISBN 978-3-447-11654-7. The German-language commentators W. Groß (2011) and E. A. Knauf (2016) have identified elaborate multi-strata redactional levels within the current Book of Judges, each with its approximate datings; their proposals differ in many instances, with Groß tending to ascribe more material to the preexilic, Knauf to the (late) postexilic period. In this revision of his 2016 Bern University dissertation directed by A. Wagner and E. A. Knauf, M. seeks to evaluate the above authors' redaction-critical and dating proposals in light of the character of the Hebrew used in the various segments of the Book of Judges. To that end, M. works through the component passages of the book (leaving aside the "special case" of chap. 5, the "Song of Deborah"). In so doing, he focuses on select linguistic (orthographical, morphological, syntactical, and lexical) features of each segment in light of the long-running scholarly discussion concerning these as well as the stage of Hebrew the particular feature seems to represent, e.g., (preexilic) Northern Hebrew, Standard Hebrew (the Hebrew, inter alia, of the Pentateuch), and Late Biblical Hebrew (LBH, the language of writers of the late Second Temple Period that was itself impacted by the spoken vernacular...

Filled with the Spirit: Sexuality, Gender, and Radical Inclusivity in a Black Pentecostal Church by Ellen Lewin

Reviewed by: Filled with the Spirit: Sexuality, Gender, and Radical Inclusivity in a Black Pentecostal Church by Ellen Lewin Lynne Gerber Ellen Lewin, Filled with the Spirit: Sexuality, Gender, and Radical Inclusivity in a Black Pentecostal Church (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018) For his fans, dancing to “mighty real” disco queen Sylvester was a religious experience. “His disco,” like his upbringing, “was straight up Pentecostal.”1 But he was too queer to stay in that religious world, “too real for the down low,” according to his pastor and friend Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, “and ‘too real’ for his church.”2 When Sylvester died of AIDS in 1988, Flunder officiated at his funeral and was tasked with one of the most sacred duties—arranging for the diva’s posthumous hair and makeup. Filled with the Spirit is an ethnographic journey into The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM), a religious “coalition” founded by Flunder in 2000 and led by her today. TFAM brings together churches, individuals, and ministries from a range of Christian denominations to support each other in forwarding their central theological commitment and organizing principle: “radical inclusivity” or “the mandate to reach out and embrace the most marginalized and despised of people, to draw them into Fellowship churches, and to lead them [End Page 148] to understand that God loves them just as they are” (48–49). Most of TFAM’s members come out of black church traditions and all are affirming of same-gender loving people, the language they favor over LGBTQ. But TFAM is decidedly not a denomination. Instead its more elastic coalitional form is designed to allow members to stay true to their particular histories while being open to the ways radical inclusivity may change them. Like Sylvester’s, Flunder’s roots are also in the black Pentecostal church, and she also left the Church of God in Christ when she realized that as a woman and a same-gender loving person she would not be able to fulfill her call to preach there. In the early 1990s she founded City of Refuge, a “Metho-Bapti-Costal,” largely African American congregation in San Francisco that prioritized the marginalized: people living with HIV, people with substance abuse issues, LGBTQ people, and sex workers. The congregation’s work became the blueprint for TFAM which, while developing a more expansive constituency, still names those communities as their own. The book’s author, Ellen Lewin, is an anthropologist of LGBTQ life in the United States and the author of groundbreaking volumes on queer kinship. She was introduced to TFAM by a gay couple raising a son whom she interviewed for her work on gay fathers. One was a minister at a TFAM-affiliated congregation and invited Lewin to visit. She was smitten. In the kind of reflexivity that marks a skilled ethnographer, she recounts her initial resistance to religion as a topic of study. She describes herself as a white, generally atheist but sometimes religiously engaged Jew who had never done scholarly work on religious communities before. But she notes that her Judaism likely eased her embrace by a community she was largely an outsider to. “Not being black,” she writes, “and not being Christian seemed to have enhanced the welcome I received, perhaps because it spoke to the truth of radical inclusivity” (26). Filled with the Spirit is the result of Lewin’s seven year immersion in TFAM. A multi-site study, it considers TFAM churches, informal social gatherings, and its national conference. Lewin’s work is oriented toward narrative rather than experience. This orientation shines in her vivid analyses of sermons, stories, and ethnographic moments. Her detailed attention leads her toward the book’s most significant contributions, including to questions about queer religious life, the role of memory in religion, and the promises and pitfalls of radical inclusivity. One of those contributions is Lewin’s nuanced exploration of coming out, what it means in the TFAM context, and why it’s so strongly emphasized there. Most TFAM participants don’t consider themselves part of a “gay church,” and, in contrast to other experiments in LGBTQ Christianity, TFAM is not organized around affirming gay identity. “I don’t want...

Refuge and integration from the perspective of the Torah. Considerations from an ancient perspective on the modern phenomenon of immigration

"Over the millennia, people have been forced, countless times, to leave their homeland and settle in other lands. As in the 21st century, the possible reasons were the same - the economic, political situation, discrimination, the difficulty of integrating or, simply, the fact that leaving was the only way out. The Jewish diaspora has known many stages, some recorded in the Bible - Torah - Old Testament. Others, such as the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, led to the peregrinations of the Jews in various corners of the world. The present work aimed to put into the perspective of ancient Jewish religious writings the way in which the idea of refuge is treated today. The migration phenomenon is considered by some to be characteristic of the modern era, being regulated by national and international legislation. The way in which Judaism treated this subject - cities of refuge, moral obligation towards the one who asks for help, “Dina de malkuta dina” - the law according to which the law of the residence prevails over the religious law - represents an interesting model to follow, but also similar in certain aspects, with the current legislation. The present work aimed to highlight some good practices, less known, which facilitated the integration in various societies in certain situations. I researched the way in which the treatment of refugees changed over time, considering, however, that Judaism continued to be faithful, until today, to some religious principles that, in fact, regulate basic interpersonal relations. Keywords: Refugees, Torah, faith, Galut, exile, captivity, migration, Temple, Pikuah Nefesh, cities of refuge, Shabbat, wandering, Law of Return, allogene, “Dina de Malkuta dina”, Jerusalem."

The Neofascist Network and Madrid, 1945–1953: From City of Refuge to Transnational Hub and Centre of Operations

The aim of this paper is to trace the evolution of the neofascist networks from the vantage point, between 1945 and 1953, of Madrid, a city where a myriad of extreme right activists gathered to discuss and promote their cause at a transnational level. Exploring the local socio-political context in which these (neo)-fascists moved, and the networks that they formed, the study delves into the creation of ratlines crucial for fascists to escape from the Allied prosecution once the Second World War was over, the consolidation of the city as a central meeting point for fascists from all over the world (from Degrelle to Skorzeny, passing by Horia Sima or Filippo Anfuso), discussions around the possible creation of paramilitary organisations, and the everyday lives of (neo)-fascists operating in Madrid. On the basis of police reports, secret service intelligences and other primary sources, this paper foregrounds the role of the fascist diaspora and the subsequent interactions as driving forces enabling entanglements, and cooperation among (neo)-fascist movements and the Francoist regime, at various formal or informal political levels.

Border Struggles, Political Unity, and the Transformative Power of the Local: US Sanctuary Cities and Spain’s Cities of Refuge

This article draws on theoretical insights about bordering and citizenship as strategies for socially constructing difference and the scholarship on scalar challenges underlying contemporary bordering to analyze sanctuary cities in the United States and cities of refuge in Spain. We argue that these initiatives challenge and resist restrictive national migration policies from below, at the local level, with attention to their implications at the global scale. Such policies have the potential to create meaningful social change by 1) amplifying and producing political unity across socially constructed differences and 2) “scaling down” migration politics from the national to the local level and, simultaneously, “jumping scale” via reliance on human rights framings. We conclude that sanctuary city and city-of-refuge designations are not merely symbolic; instead, these designations can be conceived of as locally based, global repertoires of action that make positive contributions in pursuit of social justice.

City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763–1856

City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763–1856

Marseille, city of refuge: international solidarity, American humanitarianism, and Vichy France (1940-1942)

Anchored in the port of Marseille, this article studies encounters between international solidarity, American humanitarianism, and Vichy France’s nationalism in times of war and exile. Being the main free harbour in France after the country’s defeat against Germany in the spring of 1940, Marseille saw hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking refuge and exile on its shores. This massive flux gave rise to a local internationalism of humanitarian and solidarity networks bonded by an anti-fascist ideology. American humanitarians, diplomats, and radical leftist militants shaped this eclectic internationalism by providing crucial support for European refugees escaping the Nazi-backed state repression in France. Using the local archives of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, this paper analyses how these actors and their ideologies met in Marseille and interacted with or against Vichy France’s nationalism. In the end, the extended historiography on refugees, American humanitarianism, solidarity networks, and French nationalism will be used to analyse global ideologies in a local context during the Second World War.

Refugees in borderlands: Safe places versus securitization in Athens, Greece

ABSTRACT Following the start of the Syrian civil war, the Mediterranean Sea gradually became a cemetery for refugees. As Europe closed borders and criminalized refugee rescue efforts, some gateway cities took on a new role of refugee protection and accommodation. These “cities of refuge” created safe havens for refugees while resisting Europe’s fear-inducing anti-immigrant regime and rising xenophobia. This article analyzes how Athens became an exemplary city of refuge. My ethnographic fieldwork (2017–2019) shows how collaboration among a left-wing municipality and network of local pro-refugee NGOs and activists effectively challenged right-wing populism, racism, and ultranationalism. Complicating current debates on cities of refuge as welcoming places, I argue that the power of Athens does not come from solving Europe’s so-called refugee crisis, erasing conflict, or undoing rampant fear of the Muslim refugee. To the contrary, the city of refuge is built from the bottom up through high levels of political contestation. I argue that the politics of refuge is manifested through the everyday creation of safe (urban) places sustained by inclusion and juxtaposed against top-down securitized spaces that are upheld by fear and exclusion. Athens is a resilient city of refuge that stands as a bulwark against the EU’s border politics even amid economic crisis.

“Differing in Status, but one in Spirit”: Renegotiating the Boundaries of St. Brigit’s Double Monastery at Kildare

Abstract The double monastery at Kildare, Ireland, developed from a confluence of holy sites and legends associated with St. Brigit into a major metropolitan center in the seventh century. One of the most interesting sources for this development’s apex remains Cogitosus’s Life of Saint Brigit, a collection of miracle stories immersed in the local landscape that reflect her community’s interests. A reassessment of the last three chapters of his Life, in conjunction with surviving material evidence in the landscape, will emphasize the ways in which hagiographical boundaries shaped Kildare’s development into a City of Refuge. It will argue that Cogitosus did not use ekphrasis, but delineated liminal boundaries functional to the dichotomies that Kildare was negotiating (male and female; lay and consecrated; community and pilgrims; Irish and Roman). Cogitosus’s Life provides a lens through which to view Kildare’s development into a major pilgrimage center.

“Differing in Status, but one in Spirit”: Renegotiating the Boundaries of St. Brigit’s Double Monastery at Kildare

Abstract The double monastery at Kildare, Ireland, developed from a confluence of holy sites and legends associated with St. Brigit into a major metropolitan center in the seventh century. One of the most interesting sources for this development’s apex remains Cogitosus’s Life of Saint Brigit, a collection of miracle stories immersed in the local landscape that reflect her community’s interests. A reassessment of the last three chapters of his Life, in conjunction with surviving material evidence in the landscape, will emphasize the ways in which hagiographical boundaries shaped Kildare’s development into a City of Refuge. It will argue that Cogitosus did not use ekphrasis, but delineated liminal boundaries functional to the dichotomies that Kildare was negotiating (male and female; lay and consecrated; community and pilgrims; Irish and Roman). Cogitosus’s Life provides a lens through which to view Kildare’s development into a major pilgrimage center.

Negotiation in the Contact Zone: Reading Joseph and Aseneth from a Postcolonial Perspective

Abstract In Joseph and Aseneth, religious difference is the decisive boundary that separates Aseneth (gentile) and Joseph (Jew). Therefore, Aseneth’s conversion is essential to cross over this boundary in the narrative. In this respect, one may see Joseph and Aseneth as a colonizing text that seems to romanticize Aseneth’s conversion. However, colonial realities never result one-sidedly from the intention of the powerful; they are full of ambiguity, ambivalence, and hybridity. Utilizing the postcolonial concept of contact zone, this article deals with which negotiations between the disparate groups occur in the contact zone, and consequently what unexpected changes happen after the encounter. The union of the two groups in Joseph and Aseneth is characterized as an ambiguous relation rather than as a unilateral assimilation. Aseneth becomes a shelter for anyone who is in danger beyond the religious boundary by redefining the identity given by the angel, City of Refuge.

Hospitality, asylum and education: around Emmanuel Levinas’s Talmudic readings

ABSTRACT In reference to the article by Hanan Alexander ‘Education in nonviolence’, the text takes up the issue of reading Emmanuel Levinas’s Talmudic texts for the philosophy of education. It intends to positively answer the question about the value and potential of such inspiration, focusing on concepts from two of Levinas’s Talmudic readings. The first part of the text is devoted to the characteristics of the intellectual output of the thinker. The second part analyses and discusses Alexander’s commentary on one of Levinas’s Talmudic readings, ‘Toward the Other’. Alexander aims to show the specificity of the idea of education in nonviolence, heavily indebted to the Jewish tradition and thought. The third part of the text is an extension of Alexander’s comment, focuses on another Talmudic reading by Levinas, ‘Cities of Refuge’, and aims to outline the philosophical underpinnings of the idea of the pedagogy of asylum.

Sustaining the Private Sponsorship of Resettled Refugees in Canada

For more than 40 years, groups of Canadian residents have raised funds and offered their time and energy to support over 325,000 refugee newcomers to Canada through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program. In 2020, targets for private refugee sponsorship in the Canadian context were double the number of government-assisted refugees. Private sponsorship is therefore an important focus of analysis in relation to refugee resettlement, representing a complementary pathway to refugee protection through civil society mobilization. Yet, little research to-date has focused on private sponsorship. Based on an original qualitative study, this paper probes how voluntary sponsorship has beensustainedover decades, despite the high personal and financial costs it entails, by analyzing the insights of those who have experienced sponsorship: former refugees who came through the program, long-term sponsors, key informants, and other community leaders. The authors argue that private refugee sponsorship is a communitypractice, a routine action that is part of a collective commitment, a way of connecting local community actions to global politics of injustice and displacement. Furthermore, refugee newcomers who land in Canada as permanent residents becomepart ofthe communities and society in which they stay. Having left family members behind in refugee camps and cities of refuge, many become sponsors themselves. This phenomenon of ‘family linked’ sponsorship is a defining and sustaining feature of the program, motivating family members in Canada to team up with seasoned sponsors to ‘do more’. Our data show that sponsorship occurs across scales—linking local sites in Canada to countries where human atrocities are common and neighboring states that host those who flee. Sponsorship connects people in various communities across the world, and these transnational links are important to understanding the sustainability of sponsorship over time in Canada. Our research pays attention to the narratives of sponsors and those they support with the objective of documenting the momentous contribution of this complementary, and expanding, pathway for refugee protection.

City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763–1856

City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763–1856