Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses diverse kind of representations of the mountain, mostly negative, by the asylum seekers when they first arrive in the Alps in Switzerland. It enlightens a specific aspect of urbanisation process in mountain area, from the view of the non-mobile and unwanted migrants.

Paper long abstract:

In recent years in Valais, an alpine canton in the south-western part of Switzerland —bordering France and Italy— the department in charge of asylum seekers reallocated unused municipal buildings situated in altitude to accommodate individuals —examples of such were a former summer camp, an old mountain house, and a previous sanatorium. All of them were sited in diverse touristic mountain zones, and faraway from the main reception centres located on the Rhône plain. For the fieldwork exploration, four of the twelve collective centres were selected due to their location — at more than 1200 meters up in the mountain.

This paper will focus towards the subjectivities and hard feelings of asylum seekers - as non-mobile, non-privileged and generally unwanted migrants - when they first arrive from the Swiss federal centres to the cantonal reception centres located up the mountains. Most of the time, they face a major dissatisfaction that is being placed in the mountain and not in town, while perceiving mountain as a remote place "faraway from everything". Despite being subjective, this idea provokes hard feelings and emotions, especially fear or anxiety that might be destabilizing. Asylum seekers need time to adjust, not only to the physical environment but also to the social landscape.

This paper will explore various ways in which the experiencing of being hosted in mountain centres embodies feelings that go beyond the specificity of the geographical situation. It enlightens some mountain representations that contrast tremendously with the romantic/touristified/gentrified vision of mountain as paradise.