Living Liminality. Ethnologicalinsights into the life situation ofnon- deportable refugees in Malta'
Sarah Nimführ
The article presents interim results of ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Malta in2015 and 2016. From a micro- analytical perspective, new parameters of refugee refusal,developing at the European Union's external borders, are shown and discussed. Themajority of rejected asylum seekers in Malta are non- deportable due to a number oflegal and practical factors. Non- deportable refugees are in legal limbo since they areneither considered as official members of the host country, nor are they deportableor able to leave the country independently. In Malta, non- deportable refugees have noformal legal status. This may lead to a permanent situation with limited access to the jobmarket, basic services and health care. Dominant orders are suspended without prospectof inclusion. This results in a permanent state of emergency. Based on ethnographicresearch the article illuminates the agency and vulnerability of non- deportable rejectedasylum seekers in Malta. The article argues that non- deportability and a' rejected'status limit the possibilities in terms of enforceability of their rights. It further illustratesforms of solidarity and action that non- deportable refugees apply to handle constraintsand enhance their well- being in the liminal space. To conclude, the article calls for anepistemological shift in the way the non- citizen within the nation state is theorised.
Introduction
In July 2015, about 200 refugees², mainly from Sub- Sahara- Africa, werestaging a protest against the racism and discrimination they face in Malta.
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This article is based on the paper presented at the International Conference onMigration, Irregularisation and Activism: Challenging Contemporary BorderRegimes, Racism and Subordination at the University of Malmö June 15th- 16th,2016 within the workshop„ Contestations: Activism and everyday resistance"and as part of my grant( DOC- Stipendium) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.Moreover, this article is written in English to show my appreciation for all theinterviewees and supporters of my research by returning my findings to the field.I am not using' refugee' as a legal term but to highlight their forced migration.