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Caught Between Borders

Caught Between Borders

Response Strategies of the Internally Displaced

Edited by Marc Vincent and Birgitte Refslund Sorensen

A look at the networks of the hidden lives of the internally displaced
Internally displaced persons are those who have been forced to flee their homes and who do not cross an internationally recognised border. Unlike refugees, they have no organisation to deal with their plight. Very little is known about how people respond to the experience of displacement.

This is the first book to put together information on the networks that people have evolved for coping in such situations. Examining those people who have become IDPs as the result of violence and war, it uses case studies from different countries, different settings and different phases of displacement.

The authors identify cross-cultural patterns of coping strategies, examine whether these strategies are effective and highlight to what extent they are dependent upon culture or the experience of displacement. This is a practical handbook that will help international organisations formulate their relief plans to support - rather than inadvertently damage - existing coping mechanisms.

Case studies include Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Burma, Colombia, Georgia, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Sudan and Uganda.

Marc Vincent is the Co-ordinator of the Global IDP project.

Birgitte Refslund Sorensen is an academic from the University of Copenhagen in the Department of Anthropology and is one of the leading specialists on anthropological methodology applied to forced migrants.

'One of the first extensive studies that brings together information on the methods and networks that individuals and communities have evolved for coping in such situations. Provides a rich, descriptive account' - International Peacekeeping
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction and Background
1. Africa
Angola: 'Deslocados' in the Province of Huambo
Burundi: Developing Strategies for Self-Reliance, A Study of Displacement in Four Provinces
Sudan: The Unique Challenges of Displacement in Khartoum
Uganda: The Resilience of Tradition, Displaced Acholi in Kitgum
2. Asia
Afghanistan: Displaced in a Devastated Country
Burma: Displaced Karens, Like Water on Khu Leaf
Sri Lanka: Developing New Livelihoods in the Shadow of War, Displaced, Relocated and Resettled Muslims
3. Latin America
Colombia: Creating Peace Amid the Violence, The Church, NGOs and the Displaced
4. Europe
Georgia: Coping by Organizing, Displaced Georgians from Abkhazia
Yugoslavia: Displacement from Kosovo, From Patronage to Self-Help
Conclusion
Contributors
Bibliography
Burundi Annexes
Index
Published by Pluto Press in Oct 2001
Paperback ISBN: 9780745318189

135mm x 215mm