Spaces of Precarity: Migration, Spatiality and the Refugee Graphic Narrative

The refugee crisis of the 21st century is one of the most challenging the globe has faced; today more than an estimated 68 million people are displaced from their homes. Postcolonial and diaspora studies have been slow to respond to the need to reconceptualize theories of migration in the context of the new age of migration. The traditional articulations of diasporic identity formation are lacking in theorizing refugee identities characterized by statelessness, violence and precarity. “Spaces of Precarity” addresses this lacuna in diaspora studies by drawing attention to the spatialities of refugee migration as delineated in several refugee graphic narratives. It considers the liminal and transitory spaces of migration such as refugee camps, borders and detention centres as well as the open seas often depicted in refugee graphic narratives. This project argues that the depiction of these spaces in graphic literature, offers us new opportunities to theorize migration and diaspora based on reconfiguring spatiality.

Funding Source: RGC - General Research Fund (GRF)