Who Is Worthy Of Protection?: Gender-based Asylum And U.s. Immigration Politics (oxford Studies In Gender And International Relations)
by Meghana Nayak /
2015 / English / PDF
1.9 MB Download
A surprisingly understudied topic in international relations is
gender-based asylum. Gender-based asylum offers protection from
deportation for migrants who have suffered gender violence and
persecution in their home countries. Countries are increasingly
acknowledging that even though international refugee law does not
include "gender" as a category of persecution, gender violence can
threaten people's lives and requires attention. But Meghana Nayak
argues that it matters not just that but how we respond to gender
violence and persecution.
A surprisingly understudied topic in international relations is
gender-based asylum. Gender-based asylum offers protection from
deportation for migrants who have suffered gender violence and
persecution in their home countries. Countries are increasingly
acknowledging that even though international refugee law does not
include "gender" as a category of persecution, gender violence can
threaten people's lives and requires attention. But Meghana Nayak
argues that it matters not just that but how we respond to gender
violence and persecution.
Asylum advocates and the US government have created "frames," or
ideas about how to understand different types of gender violence
and who counts as victims. These frames are useful in increasing
gender-based asylum grants. But the United States is negotiating
the tension between the protection and the restriction of
non-citizens, claiming to offer safe haven to persecuted people at
the same time that it aims to control borders. Thus, the frames
construct which migrants are "worthy" of protection. The effects of
the asylum frames are two-fold. First, they leave out or distort
the stories and experiences of asylum seekers who do not fit
preconceived narratives of "good" victims. Second, the frames
reflect but also serve as an entry point to deepen, strengthen, and
shape the US position of power relative to other countries,
international organizations, and immigrant communities.
Asylum advocates and the US government have created "frames," or
ideas about how to understand different types of gender violence
and who counts as victims. These frames are useful in increasing
gender-based asylum grants. But the United States is negotiating
the tension between the protection and the restriction of
non-citizens, claiming to offer safe haven to persecuted people at
the same time that it aims to control borders. Thus, the frames
construct which migrants are "worthy" of protection. The effects of
the asylum frames are two-fold. First, they leave out or distort
the stories and experiences of asylum seekers who do not fit
preconceived narratives of "good" victims. Second, the frames
reflect but also serve as an entry point to deepen, strengthen, and
shape the US position of power relative to other countries,
international organizations, and immigrant communities.Who
Is
Who
IsWorthy of Protection?
Worthy of Protection? explores the politics of
gender-based asylum through a comparative examination of US asylum
policy and cases regarding domestic violence, female circumcision,
rape, trafficking, coercive sterilization and abortion, and
persecution based on sexual and gender identity.
explores the politics of
gender-based asylum through a comparative examination of US asylum
policy and cases regarding domestic violence, female circumcision,
rape, trafficking, coercive sterilization and abortion, and
persecution based on sexual and gender identity.