Group Of Returnees Research Articles

Mixed marriage in Ezra 9-10: The Disappearance of Ezra as a mimic man for the Persian Empire

In this paper, as I follow scholars’ socio-economic perspectives on Ezra 9-10, I will explore the mixed marriage issue in light of the post-colonial theory, especially Homi Bhabha’s post-colonial theory. I will argue that Ezra as a mimic man followed the Persian Empire’s political policy. The Empire prohibited intermarriage between the returnees and those who had not been in exile. However, Ezra was persecuted because of his coercive dissolution of marriage. In his commentary, Ezra-Nehemiah, Joseph Blenkinsopp assumes that Ezra was recalled by the Persian Empire since Ezra’s decision of dissolution of marriage caused political unrest in Yehud. However, he does not clarify how Ezra’s intermarriage prohibition is supported by the Persian Empire. Given the fact that Udjahorresnet, the Egyptian priest and special advisor to the Persian Empire on Egyptian affairs, banished the foreigners who had settled in the sanctuary of Neith in the third year of Darius, Ezra must have followed the prohibition of intermarriage by the Persian Empire. If I apply Homi Bhabha’s concept to Ezra’s political status, Ezra as a mimic man reveals his hybrids: he is part Pro-Persian and part Jewish elite. In an attempt to resolve the conflicts between the group of returnees and those who were not in exile, especially in regard to property disputes, the Persian Empire sent the Pro-Persian Ezra. However, by interpreting the Deuteronomic law in an extreme way, Ezra decided to separate the existing families. According to Ancient Near Eastern Law, a husband should return his wife’s dowry after their divorce. On account of this, Ezra must have stirred up considerable social controversy. In other words, Ezra’s hybridity functions as a menace to the Persian Empire.

Performing a ‘Returnee’ in Benin City, Nigeria

Over recent years, with the support of international NGOs, many thousands of irregular migrants were ‘returned’ to West Africa from Libyan detention centres. Through extensive ethnographic fieldwork with different groups of returnees in Benin City, Nigeria, I studied the establishment and evolution of the ‘returnee’ identity. Making use of labelling, social identity and performativity theories, I found that the performance of the returnee identity for Western donors, researchers and the media creates opportunities for the returnees to regain respect in their communities. Emphasising the role of performativity in identity formation, I use the metaphor of a theatrical play. Initially scripted by the EU border-externalisation policies, the return-migration play has evolved to fit in local political realities. On the frontstage, returnees were adjusting to the EU counter-migration agenda, testifying about the risks of irregular migration. Backstage, however, they kept pursuing their migration aspirations, also using the returnee identity to establish themselves in the city and gain some level of political recognition.

A Torá como elemento de memória e construção identitária na Yehud persa

Este artigo discutirá a instrumentalização da Torá por grupos de repatriados no Período do Segundo Templo. Na primeira parte do estudo, analisaremos a Torá como texto de memória, de tradições inventadas, e como objeto de disputa ideológica. Na segunda parte da pesquisa, faremos uma sucinta história da pesquisa e da composição da Torá, para mostrarmos a complexidade das memórias, narrativas e tradições de seus textos. E por fim, faremos um breve comentário de um texto mítico fundante para a inserção da Torá na comunidade do pós-exílio.

The Effect of Study-Abroad Experiences on Korean Returnees’ Use of Shell Nouns in Persuasive Writing

With a growing number of returnees from abroad, there has been a steady interest on how their study abroad experiences had an influence on their L2 writing development. However, it is also undeniable that depending on when and how long they stayed in the host country, final attainment varies. Taking the onset age and length of residence into consideration, we designed our study to investigate returnees’ written products, particularly focusing on a cohesive feature called shell noun. The participants were 24 returnees currently residing in Korea at age between 22 and 30. All the participants received over 100 scores on TOEFL. They were grouped into two onset ages (the ages of 9-11 and 12-18) based on the sensitive period hypothesis. The results revealed that onset age was a decisive factor on shell noun frequency; however, length of residence did not predict use of shell nouns, when separated from age. There is not any difference in the use of lexico-grammatical patterns for shell nouns between the two groups of returnees, with the use of the shell noun view being the most frequent.

Khat, Governance and Political Identity among Diaspora Returnees to Somaliland

This article explores the return of the Western Somaliland diaspora to the independent yet internationally unrecognised Republic of Somaliland. It focuses on one particular group of returnees, a relatively well-educated group of ‘professionals’, who position themselves as modern political subjects through a critique of the mild stimulant khat which is consumed daily by the large majority of Somaliland adult males. The paper shows how the unregulated and widespread consumption of khat is used by ‘professionals’ to pinpoint the shortcomings of the political leadership and to present themselves as more legitimate political leaders of Somaliland. Moreover, khat is used by ‘professionals’ to disqualify consumers as legitimate political subjects and citizens of Somaliland, as it nurtures clan identities and leads to passivity—seen as incompatible with the ideals of the nation-state.

Mental health of returnees: refugees in Germany prior to their state-sponsored repatriation.

BackgroundMany refugees live for years in exile. The combination of stress in the host country, together with long-term effects resulting from traumatic stress usually experienced in the home country may affect mental health. Little is known, to what extent these and other factors promote or stall the willingness to return to the country of origin. Here, we investigate, as an example, refugees who will return to their country of origin after having lived in exile in Germany for some 11 years.ObjectiveWhat is the mental health status of returnees before the actual return who have been living in exile for an extended period? We also asked, what are the current living conditions in Germany and what are the motives for and reasons against a voluntary return to the country of origin?MethodsForty-seven participants of programs for assisted voluntarreturn were interviewed about their present living situation, their view regarding their home country and voluntary return. These findings were compared to a group of 53 refugees who had decided to remain in Germany (stayers). Participants were recruited by means of advertisements posted in refugee centres, language schools, at doctors' offices and in organisations involved in the management of voluntary return in Germany. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among respondents was tested using the structured interview M.I.N.I. The Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) was used to assess PTSD in more detail and EUROHIS was applied to measure the subjective quality of life of participants.ResultsWe found a prevalence rate of 44% psychiatric disorders in the group of returnees and a rate of 78% in the group of stayers. We also recorded substantial correlations between the living situation in Germany, disposition to return and mental health. In almost two thirds of the participants the decision to return was not voluntary but strongly influenced by immigration authorities. The most important reason for participants to opt for a stay in Germany were their children, who have been born and raised in Germany.ConclusionPsychological strains among the study participants were very high. Traumatic stress, experienced during war and refuge, has left the victims vulnerable and not well equipped to cope with post-migration stressors in exile. It is noteworthy that the majority returned under pressure of the immigration authorities. The fear of an uncertain future after the return was substantial. These factors should be taken into account in programs designed to assist returnees, including those that offer support after return to the country of origin.

Palestinians Born in Exile: Diaspora and the Search for a Homeland (review)

Born in Exile: Diaspora and Search for a Homeland, by Juliane Hammer. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2005. 271 pp. $22.95. If you are interested in Palestinian-Israeli conflict, chances are you have an opinion issue of Palestinians' right to return-and most likely, a strong opinion. In that case, book reviewed here may answer some of your questions about returnees, including what actually happens to them when they return to Palestine, how they are received by those who never left, and where they actually feel most at home. Juliane Hammer sets out to study experiences of a small group of young Palestinian returnees to West Bank in years following 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. The study is revealing for what it shows us about nature of these returnees' experiences, including variability of their experiences, their emotional and intellectual discomfort with realities they found on ground, and their negotiated integration into Palestinian society in some instances, and, in others, their decisions to leave for homelands in other places. By revealing complexities and uncertainties surrounding these returnees' experiences, Hammer effectively demonstrates disconnect for many Palestinian returnees between imagined homelands and real returns, as well as between professed nationalism and self-interested individualism. Throughout book, a central focus is tension between two groups of returnees whom Hammer refers to as Amrikan and Aideen. The former are returnees from North America and Europe. The latter are returnees from Arab countries, many of whose fathers typically worked for PLO in diaspora. Many of Aideens' fathers returned to Palestine in order to work for Palestinian Authority. Many Aideen, Hammer tells us, had to cope with the negative perceptions of local Palestinians (p. 106) who felt that PA was a synonym for corruption, privilege, and takeover of political power (p. 140). Throughout study Hammer compares two groups (and their inevitable subgroupings). While this serves to highlight a key source of diversity of experience among Palestinian returnees, it also inevitably sells one group's experiences short and minimizes other key differences (such as religion and class). Amrikans, for example, demonstrate various acts of resistance to assimilating to requirements of life in Palestine, such as refusing to improve their Arabic. The Aideen, other hand, are more involved in political issues than Amrikan. I argue that these assertions by Hammer may be more connected to small sample size than to social reality of her informants' experiences. While it may be possible to propose certain generalizations based influence of two groups' diaspora experiences, in-depth interviews of more informants and a closer look at ethnographic data already at hand could have served to bolster her assertions or have led her to different conclusions. …