"Women's Space is Everywhere!" - A Study of Narratives of Bordering and Gendering
Translated title
"Kvinders Plads er Overalt!" - Et Studie af Narrativer om Grӕnser og Køn
Authors
Johansen, Marie Witt Gad ; Gunge, Ida Kajsa Cecilia ; Kristiansen, Silje Garnaas
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-30
Pages
122
Abstract
I 2015–2016 modtog Europa et stort antal flygtninge. EU reagerede ved at stramme grænsekontrollen og eksternalisere grænsekontrollen—flytte dele af kontrollen uden for EU’s ydre grænser—for at begrænse ankomster. Dette har bidraget til en sikkerhedsgørelse af flygtninge, hvor de fremstilles som risici for samfund og stat, og asylreglerne er blevet strammere. Det gør grænsepassager mere vanskelige og usikre, og mange vælger farligere ruter for at undgå tilbageholdelse og hjemsendelse. I dag flygter flere kvinder og børn end tidligere. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan flygtningekvinder oplever at krydse grænser, når de er tvunget på flugt. Vi ser på, hvordan de opfatter forskelle mellem grænser, og hvilke strategier de vælger. Vi bruger narratologi—studiet af fortællinger—til at forstå deres bevægelser til og inden for EU, og et kønsperspektiv til at analysere, hvordan deres positioner påvirker oplevelser og valg. Studiet bygger på tre flygtningekvinders fortællinger og deltagerobservation under konferencen "International Conference of Refugees and Migrants" i Hamburg i 2016. Vi sætter fortællingerne ind i en bredere beskrivelse af det aktuelle europæiske grænseregime. Vores analyse viser, at flygtningekvinder navigerer i et mandecentreret felt, synligt i asyllovgivning, EU’s grænsepraksis og konferencen i Hamburg. De er ofte udelukket fra den politiske debat og fra at definere fortællingen, hvilket placerer dem i en offerrolle. Kvindelig migration bliver ofte indrammet gennem menneskehandel eller husligt arbejde, hvilket knytter kvinder til den private sfære. Kvinderne i studiet beskriver EU’s grænsesystem som styret af sikkerhed og vold, hvilket direkte påvirker deres rejser. Deres strategier er kønsspecifikke og har til formål at øge egen sikkerhed: bruge økonomiske midler, rejse med en mandlig beskytter eller i grupper, og håndtere synlighed. Synlighed/usynlighed bruges til enten at undgå mænd, der opfattes som trusler, eller til at gøre sig synlig som offer med behov for beskyttelse. Dermed bliver processer af grænsedragning også processer af kønsliggørelse. Der er et dialogisk forhold mellem, hvordan kvinderne forstår EU’s grænser, og hvordan grænserne samtidig konstruerer en essentiel "kvindelig flygtningeoplevelse". Dette felt af tryghed og usikkerhed påvirker grundlæggende, hvordan kvinderne navigerer.
In 2015–2016, Europe received a large number of refugees. The EU responded by tightening border controls and externalizing border management—moving parts of control beyond the EU’s outer borders—to limit arrivals. This has contributed to the securitization of refugees, where they are framed as risks to society and the state, and asylum rules have become stricter. As a result, crossings have become more difficult and unsafe, and many people take more dangerous routes to avoid detention and return. Today, more women and children are fleeing than before. This thesis examines how refugee women experience crossing borders when they must flee. We explore how they perceive differences between borders and which strategies they choose. We use narratology—the study of stories—to understand their movements to and within the EU, and a gender perspective to analyze how their positions shape experiences and choices. The study draws on narratives from three refugee women and on participant observation at the 2016 "International Conference of Refugees and Migrants" in Hamburg. We situate these accounts within a broader overview of the current European border regime. Our analysis shows that refugee women navigate a male-centered field, visible in asylum legislation, EU border practices, and the Hamburg conference. They are often excluded from political debate and from setting the narrative, which places them in a victim role. Female migration is frequently framed through human trafficking or domestic labor, linking women to the private sphere. The women in this study describe the EU border system as driven by security and violence, which directly shapes how they travel. Their strategies are gender-specific and aim to increase personal safety: using financial resources, traveling with a male protector or in groups, and managing visibility. Visibility/invisibility is used either to avoid men perceived as threats or to make themselves visible as victims in need of protection. Thus, processes of bordering also become processes of gendering. There is a dialogical relationship between how the women conceptualize EU borders and how the borders, in turn, construct an essentialized "female refugee experience." This field of safety and uncertainty fundamentally affects how the women navigate.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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