Exploring multiple dimensions of refugee resettlement in Australia

Exploring multiple dimensions of refugee resettlement in Australia

Charishma Ratnam

(Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)

Abstract

Over the last two decades, Australia’s refugee policy has focussed on border control, offshore detention, and a suite of temporary visa measures. Emerging from this political rhetoric has been public discourse spruiking taglines to ‘stop the boats’ of ‘illegals’, ‘criminals’, and ‘queue jumpers.’ Such hostile expressions have resulted in less, if any, focus on the individuals attempting to resettle after forced journeys. Indeed, the stories and lived experiences of refugees warrant attention, not least because forced migration is emotional and perilous. In this seminar, I will unpack what resettlement looks and feels like for refugees in Australia – a cohort that routinely sits outside of normative discussions and celebrations of multiculturalism. To do so, I draw from two research projects. The first project examined how Sri Lankan refugees (re)created their homes during resettlement and why that mattered. The second project has explored how Sri Lankan refugees use digital technologies – smartphones and digital applications – to capture, document, and share their everyday lives. By drawing on lived experiences and memories of Sri Lankan refugees, I offer a reflection and critical analysis of the spatial, temporal, and digital dimensions that affect refugees’ lives and futures. Providing a platform to amplify refugees’ voices, stories, and lived experiences can help to (re)shape Australia’s national identity as one that is accepting.