Today, the concept of the refugee as distinct from other migrants looms large.
She is the author of Let Me Be a Refugee (2014)..
About author(s): Rebecca Hamlin is Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
This book is a challenge to all those invested in the rights and study of migrants to Move toward more equitable advocacy for all border crossers.
In truth, the binary is a dangerous legal fiction, politically constructed with the ultimate goal of making harsh border control measures more ethically palatable to the public.
The migrant/refugee binary is not just an innocuous shorthand--indeed, its power stems from the way in which it is painted as apolitical.
Drawing on cases of various border crises across Europe, North America, South America, and the Middle East, Hamlin outlines major inconsistencies and faulty assumptions on which the binary relies.
Everything we know about People who decide to Move suggests that border crossing is far more complicated than any binary, or even a continuum, can encompass.
In Crossing , Rebecca Hamlin argues against advocacy positions that cling to this distinction.
Immigration laws have developed to reinforce a dichotomy between those viewed as voluntary, often economically motivated, migrants who can be legitimately excluded by potential host states, and those viewed as forced, often politically motivated, refugees who should be let in.
Today, the concept of the refugee as distinct from other migrants looms large
