engleski

Stigma and exile

The paper analyses the processes of projection and stereotyping that are linked to the situation of exile. Namely, the author will convey the experiences underwent in the course of fulfilling the field researches (from 1993 till now) carried out partly within the project "The Study and Care of Refugee Families - A Pilot Study of Anthropological and Psychodynamic Aspects" (UNESCO participation Project No. 9254-1994). It seems that there are many notions of what the refugees and displaced persons should need, possess or even how they should look like. As for many other stigmatized groups, they often are under the results of actions that carry the polarity "us" and "them". At least that is the message that one can pick up in the world-wide media bombardment over their well-being, as well as from many other documents of highly recognizable and dedicated sources. However, this paper is not based on the critique of this level, but is rather focused on the self-critique of the author, initiated by the notion that we must firstly become aware of the ways in which we, ourselves, stereotype people in order to, later on, scientifically analyze this occurrence. Additionally, the stereotypizations that a scientist can make and/or the laymen, on the basis of scientific evidence can establish, is highly dangerous upon the addressed groups, whether in an actual or metaphorical exile. Thus, the process of my continuos fieldwork, that had other aims to accomplish, brought about a byproduct of self-analysis and the awareness that the process of stereotyping is a daily phenomena, within each of our lives, that is much more dynamic in nature than we seem to admit to ourselves. The question we can jointly address is - what does it take to correct our emotional "eyes of the beholder" ?

refugees; stigma; exile; anthropology

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