Care in a refugee camp: A case study of a humanitarian volunteer in Calais

In this presentation Prof. Sarah Crafter introduces the chapter, ‘Care in a refugee camp: A case study of a humanitarian volunteer in Calais, written by Prof. Crafter and Dr. Rosen for the recently published Refuge in a Moving World Open Access volume edited by Southern Responses PI Prof. Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh. The chapter (pp. 228 – 243) draws on a ‘geographies-of-care’ framework and follows the case study of a humanitarian volunteer in a refugee camp in Calais.

Using this case study the chapter examines the concepts of ‘caringscapes’ and ‘carescapes’ and narrates the relationships of care formed between Liz, the humanitarian volunteer, and women refugees and their children, as well as unaccompanied children, within the Calais camp. In so doing it challenges dominant narratives around the nature of the provision of humanitarian aid by international agencies, for the most part absent from the camp, and highlights the complexities of the lives of adults and children on the move, who themselves become care givers and aid providers.

These are themes that we have been examining in the Southern Responses to Displacement project through our research exploring ‘southern’ led responses to displacement from Syria, and, in particular, refugee-refugee humanitarianism. You can access the presentation below: