Refugee Dignity in Protracted Exile

Perhaps the greatest failing of the modern refugee regime is that roughly half of the world's refugees languish in protracted refugee situations, with no solution in sight. Anna Purkey's important book tackles this failing head-on, rightly insisting that the answer is not continued charity but rather participatory empowerment. Her novel contribution is that international law has a critical role to play in enabling this transition - imposing not just ethical responsibility, but rather real accountability on both states and international agencies to release refugees from the purgatory of ongoing indeterminacy. - James C. Hathaway, Director, Program in Refugee and Asylum Law, University of Michigan Law School Anna's book is refreshingly original and unique in re-conceiving approaches to protracted refugee situations. It takes refugee and human rights law as a starting point. Through a combination of legal and development theories it argues clearly and concisely for an empowerment approach, thus highlighting the imbalance of power dynamics in refugee situations. - Professor Susan Kneebone Professional Fellow and Associate, Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School Two-thirds of the world's refugees are in situations of prolonged exile. The average duration of a refugee situation now surpassing 20 years. This book makes a significant contribution to debates on how to respond to these trends by challenging the exclusive emphasis on the economic empowerment of refugees in situations of prolonged exile. By arguing for the importance of legal empowerment as a precondition for solutions, this book lays a significant foundation for new directions for research, policy and practice. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand and resolve protracted refugee situations. -James Milner, Associate Professor of Political Science, Carleton University