Picturing precarity: Diasporic belonging and camp life in Leila Abdelrazaq’s Baddawi

Leila Abdelrazaq’s Baddawi (2015) tells the story of her father Ahmad’s childhood spent in Baddawi, a camp for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Given that the refugee status of Palestinians has now lasted over 70 years, Palestine occupies a unique position in refugee studies. Camps like Baddawi form a distinctive model of refugee diasporic space where a temporary, liminal space becomes a diasporic “home” for millions. Contrary to the Agambenian depiction of “bare life” in camps, Abdelrazaq’s graphic novel portrays Baddawi as a communal space where families live together, preserving cultural traditions and performing daily rituals of life. Despite its depictions of the precarity and violence, Abdelrazaq portrays Baddawi as a space of belonging and, ultimately, of solace and return. Considering questions of diasporic belonging and agency of refugees in precarious and liminal spaces like Baddawi, the article calls for a renewed understanding of diasporic identity and belonging in conflict settings. Copyright © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.