Our Relations to Refugees: Between Compassion and Dehumanization

American Journal of Psychoanalysis
Sverre Varvin

Abstract

After the so-called refugee crisis of 2015-2016 European reactions to foreigners had come to the fore and we are seeing xenophobic political and populist movements become increasingly mainstream. The massive rejection of refugees/asylum seekers taking place has made their conditions before, during and after flight, increasingly difficult and dangerous. This paper relates current xenophobia to historical attitudinal trends in Europe regarding Islam, and claims that a much more basic conflict is at work: the one between anti-modernism/traditionalism and modernism/globalization. Narratives on refugees often relate them to both the foreign (Islam) and to "trauma". In an environment of insecurity and collective anxiety, refugees may represent something alien and frightening but also fascinating. I will argue that current concepts and theories about "trauma" or "the person with trauma" are insufficient to understand the complexity of the refugee predicament. Due to individual and collective countertransference reactions, the word "trauma" tends to lose its theoretical anchoring and becomes an object of projection for un-nameable anxieties. This disturbs relations to refugees at both societal and clinical levels and lays the groundwor...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1974·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·L R Hott
Jan 1, 1981·Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association·W G Niederland
Mar 1, 1993·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·T I Rubin
Mar 15, 2006·The Psychiatric Clinics of North America·Catherine C ClassenPatricia Woods
Mar 30, 2007·The International Journal of Psycho-analysis·Werner Bohleber
Dec 7, 2007·The International Journal of Psycho-analysis·Bent Rosenbaum, Sverre Varvin
Jul 1, 2009·Psychiatric Services : a Journal of the American Psychiatric Association·Verónica G VitriolDafna F Benadof
Feb 2, 2010·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·Aina Basilier VaageEdvard Hauff
Aug 28, 2013·European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry·Marianne VervlietIlse Derluyn
Nov 14, 2013·Archives of Women's Mental Health·Anita J Gagnon, Donna E Stewart
Mar 23, 2017·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Marcelo N Viñar
Oct 25, 2017·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Ilany Kogan

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 10, 2018·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Kalina Yordanova
Nov 8, 2017·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Endre Koritar
Oct 25, 2017·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Ilany Kogan
Oct 12, 2018·The Journal of Analytical Psychology·Robert Tyminski
Nov 30, 2018·American Journal of Public Health·Rollin McCulloch Gallagher, Friedhelm Sandbrink
May 20, 2018·European Psychiatry : the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·Daniel KönigNestor D Kapusta
Mar 28, 2018·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Merle Molofsky
Feb 13, 2020·Focus : Journal of Life Long Learning in Psychiatry·Francisco A Moreno, Jasleen Chhatwal

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.