Refugees have become a major concern as the modern world operates based on the idea of nation states and strict border politics. Studying narratives of displacement is crucial in current times as it can throw light into the cultural and border politics involved in this phenomenon. This paper aims to study the politics of exclusion the refugee experience while in transit. The major objectives of the study are, (i)the representation of vulnerability and how refugee bodies are subjected to Othering, (ii)how far the concept of hospitality can be practiced as a solution for the crisis, (iii)the role of literary narratives in imagining and mediating an ethical response to asylum. The theoretical framework includes the concept of precarity and vulnerability as proposed by Judith Butler and Derrida’s concept of Hospitality. The primary texts taken for study are Homes: A Refugee Story by Winnie Yeung, The Boy on the Beach by Tima Kurdi and The Pianist of Yarmouk by Aeham Ahmad; life narratives of Syrian refugees who have migrated to Europe. The methodology of the study involves close reading of the primary texts to elucidate how precarity is experienced, and to find the instances where conditional and unconditional hospitality can be practised. The expected initial result is that unconditional hospitality can be practised in one-to-one interaction between the guest and the host where the state or legal system is not involved. Thus it implies a conclusion that literature can act as a medium that promotes ethical response to refugee phenomenon.

Authors:
Theertha Theophin, Central University of Tamilnadu, India

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Theertha Theophin is currently a Junior Research Fellow at English Dept. Central University of Tamilnadu, India. Her area of research is Refugee and Forced Migration Studies. My other interests includes reading epistolary narratives, travelling.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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