Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History - Hardcover

Rabben, Linda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0295999128 ISBN 13: 9780295999128

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 2016

Synopsis

The practice of sanctuary-giving refuge to the threatened, vulnerable stranger-may be universal among humans. From primate populations to ancient religious traditions to the modern legal institution of asylum, anthropologist Linda Rabben explores the long history of sanctuary and analyzes modern asylum policies in North America, Europe, and elsewhere, contrasting them with the role that courageous individuals and organizations have played in offering refuge to survivors of torture, persecution, and discrimination. Rabben gives close attention to the mid-2010s refugee crisis in Europe and to Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States. This wide-ranging, timely, and carefully documented account draws on Rabben's experiences as a human rights advocate as well as her training as an anthropologist. Sanctuary and Asylum will help citizens, professionals, and policy makers take informed and compassionate action.

About this title

Review:

In Sanctuary and Asylum, Rabben offers a rich historical analysis of individual and community responses to the need for protection of migrants and refugees. At times disheartening, at times inspiring, Rabben conveys the fear that drives discrimination and the welcome that follows when we see migrants as our neighbors, our friends, as us.

Author: Jeanne M. Atkinson, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)

From the Author:

Linda Rabben is associate research professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland. She is the author of Give Refuge to the Stranger: The Past, Present, and Future of Sanctuary and Fierce Legion of Friends: A History of Human Rights Campaigns and Campaigners.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0295999128
• ISBN 13: 9780295999128
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352