SOAS Research Online

Abstract

What kind of human life is being constructed when we categorize people as ‘refugees’? What do we mean by ‘refugees are human?’ is there in fact a shared humanity? Ruba Salih’s provocative reflections on refugees in contemporary times complicate the story of compassion and highlight the danger of benevolence. Ruba was born from Palestinian parents who became refugees after the creation of the state of Israel. Her family scattered all over the world and were never allowed to return, forever cut off from their homes. As a young woman, it was natural for her to develop an academic passion for the study of people suffering from injustices. After a degree in Political Sciences, Ruba achieved a PhD in Social Anthropology and is today a Reader in Gender Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Ruba is a trustee of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences and today her research focuses mainly on refugees as they have become mirrors of the predicament of humanity in the 21st century. She strongly believes that refugees are the critical consciousness of the project of humanity, questioning the notion of a shared human condition. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx