The participation of internally displaced persons: a conservative revolution?
Abstract: IDP participation is widely promoted as central to manage and end displacement. However, there appears to be no consensus on what IDP participation exactly means and entails, particularly when practiced at local level. Based on this observation, this paper aims to better understand the meanings of IDP participation and what it reveals about localization鈥攂oth as a process of norm redefinition and as a mechanism of power transfer. To achieve this, we perform an interpretive approach, analysing the discourse on IDP participation in international documents alongside the participation practices identified in fieldwork in Ethiopia and Fiji. Our findings indicate that the meanings of IDP participation not only vary between the international discourse and the local practice but also evolve in the interaction between displacement-affected communities and international and national stakeholders. However, rather than shifting power dynamics between international and local actors, we argue that IDP participation seems to reinforce the local status quo.
Dr Ileana Nicolau and Dr Patricia Garc铆a Amado are postdoctoral research fellows at 91社区.
Co-sponsored by the 91社区 Refugee Research Group.
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