Title The ideal refugees : gender, Islam, and the Sahrawi politics of survival / Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh

Edition First edition Published Syracuse, New York : Syracuse University Press, 2014

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Description 1 online resource (352 pages) Series Gender, culture, and politics in the Middle East Gender, culture, and politics in the Middle East. Contents Introduction : the "ideal" refugees -- Engendering the colonial encounter -- The Sahrawi refugee camps : international and solidarity networks -- Emerging discourse : concealing Islam -- Secular sisters, Muslim others, and the politics of survival -- Discursive silences, "ideal women", and directing aid -- Conclusion Summary Refugee camps are typically perceived as militarized and patriarchal spaces, and yet the Sahrawi refugee camps and their inhabitants have consistently been represented as ideal in nature: uniquely secular and democratic spaces, and characterized by gender equality. Drawing on extensive research with and about Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, Cuba, Spain, South Africa, and Syria, Fiddian-Qasmiyeh explores how, why, and to what effect such idealized depictions have been projected onto the international arena. In The Ideal Refugees, the author argues that secularism and the empowerment of Sahrawi refugee women have been strategically invoked to secure the humanitarian and political support of Western state and non-state actors who ensure the continued survival of the camps and their inhabitants. This book challenges the reader to reflect critically on who benefits from assertions of good, bad, and ideal refugees, and whose interests are advanced by interwoven discourses about the empowerment of women and secularism in contexts of war and peace.--Publisher description Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Print version record Subject Sahrawi (African people) Internally displaced persons -- Western Sahara Women refugees -- Western Sahara Women -- Political activity -- Western Sahara Islam and politics -- Western Sahara Refugee camps -- Western Sahara POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Public Policy -- Social Security. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Public Policy -- Social Services & Welfare. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- World -- Middle Eastern. Internally displaced persons Islam and politics Politics and government Refugee camps Sahrawi (African people) Women -- Political activity Women refugees SUBJECT Western Sahara -- Politics and government -- 1975- http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85146283 Subject Western Sahara Form Electronic book ISBN 9780815652366 0815652364

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