|
Alice Wilson's research concerns state-building in the refugee camps for refugees
from the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
These camps are located in south-west Algeria, where the
refugees and the leaders of their liberation movement have
founded a state in exile.
The research is an inquiry into the possibilities and
limits of statehood as experienced in the refugee camps. The social relations of
statehood are examined through the ethnography of democratization, citizenship,
judicial reform and the regulation of social life
(specifically marriage practices). The ethnography explores the relationship between
pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary society.
Alice analyses social change in the camps in the
context of longstanding humanitarian relief work,
more recent development projects and the growing
marketization of economic structures.
The research is based on two years of fieldwork with Saharawi refugees. |
