Paper short abstract:

Discussions about the consequences of forced migration have in anthropology often been framed through the lens of “displacement.” In this presentation, I propose an anthropology of “reorientation” to broaden the conversation about post-displacement transformations.

Paper long abstract:

Discussions about the consequences of violence and forced migration have in anthropology often been framed through the lens of “displacement.” In this presentation, I add the notions of “disorientation” and “reorientation” to broaden the conversation about the long-term, varied, and dispersed consequences of displacement. This is not to replace displacement, since this notion will remain an important anchor in discussions on citizenship and belonging, but to complement it. The anthropology of reorientation is a contribution to the panel's efforts to move beyond a "suffering migrant subject" in that it allows multiple connotations to arise, including both positive and negative ones.

An anthropology of reorientation is a people-oriented perspective of post-displacement transformation. It is an invitation to think in the broadest possible sense about the social and spatial consequences of violence-induced, forced migration. It allows us to examine how people find their way anew through shifting terrains, how their carving out new pathways is paired with the reconceptualisation of space and sociality, and how, through their adjustments, they themselves become part of producing a changing landscape. An anthropology of reorientation foregrounds the places, practices, and narratives that emerge as significant to the people being researched, including refugees, other residents, and affected people living faraway. The presentation is based on my book “New Lives in Anand" (University of Washington Press 2022), in which I explore the long-term consequences of an episode of religious violence and its aftermath of residential segregation in western India.