The politics of space surrounding the escape, journey and resettlement of asylum seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea

ABSTRACT

This article traces the experiences of a Syrian refugee who journeyed from Aleppo to other countries until his resettlement in Malta. His harrowing story throws light on the politics of space in the context of forced migratory attempts. The study examines Ayman’s subjectivities to demonstrate that the rights to asylum and to movement are continuously contested, negotiated and reimagined. Ayman’s escape, journey and resettlement constituted physical and social spaces that determined his life prospects and forged his destiny. At all stages the struggle to survive triggered strong emotions that Ayman later expressed in order to transmit his appeal for global solidarity that he justified on the basis of the ‘oneness’ of the world. I employ an autoethnographic methodological approach to draw on the power of emotions in the telling of Ayman’s story and make sense of it. Ayman’s story calls for ethical sensibility, forgiveness, hospitality, communal sharing of resources and respect for cultural differences in the aftermath of forced displacement in an era which makes staying and leaving impermanent.

KEYWORDS:

• Asylum
• refugees
• war
• forced migration
• Syria
• Mediterranean Sea

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. For a comprehensive overview see Migration in Malta: Country Profile 2015 (IOM, 2016), which also includes the number of arrivals in the last couple of years and the type of status granted.

2. Malta is the most densely populated EU member state with an average of 1,320 persons per square kilometre. The overall EU average stands at 116.6 persons per square kilometre (National Statistics Office, 2011).

3. For a discussion about the broader dimensions of forgiveness according to Derrida see Banki (2011).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joanne Cassar

Joanne Cassar, EdD, is a senior lecturer at the Department of Youth and Community Studies at the University of Malta. Her research interests comprise youth studies, in particular adolescent sexuality, gender and sexuality education. Her academic publications focus on the construction of sexual identities in multiple contexts. A number of her publications also examine the notion of belonging and voice in relation to refugees. Dr Cassar has carried out various research projects on a local level as well as in collaboration with other international research partners.