Systems of Suffering
Dispersal and the Denial of Asylum
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Pluto Press
Published:20th May '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£85.00(9780745340470)
This book provides an in-depth analysis of dispersal in the UK asylum system, revealing its hidden cruelties and impacts on refugees. Systems of Suffering is essential reading for advocates.
In Systems of Suffering, Jonathan Darling presents a thorough analysis of the concept of 'dispersal' within the context of the UK government's asylum policy. This exploration reveals how dispersal, often overlooked compared to more visible practices like detention and deportation, inflicts a slower, more insidious form of violence on refugees and asylum seekers. Darling's work sheds light on the hidden cruelties embedded in this system, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of its impact on vulnerable populations.
The author draws on six years of extensive research to provide a detailed account of how the dispersal system operates, highlighting its evolution from the privatized asylum accommodation contracts initiated in 2012 to the current outsourcing efforts by the Home Office. By foregrounding the voices and experiences of those directly affected, Darling illustrates how dispersal not only sustains but also perpetuates patterns of violence, suffering, and social marginalization among refugees and asylum seekers.
Systems of Suffering serves as an essential resource for advocates and policymakers alike, challenging the prevailing narratives surrounding asylum in Britain. Darling's compelling arguments underscore the importance of holding the government accountable for the systemic violence inherent in its asylum policies, making this book a crucial contribution to the discourse on human rights and social justice in contemporary society.
'Elegant and disturbing [...] a brilliant analysis of the cruel biopolitics of care in contemporary Britain'
-- Ash Amin, Chair of Geography at Cambridge University'Indispensable reading for anyone interested in the contemporary policies, practices, spaces, and politics of asylum'
-- Suzan Ilcan, Professor of Sociology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario'A tour-de-force. The evidence for the violence of the country's system of dispersal of asylum-seekers is shocking. Bursting with ideas, this book contains the seeds of an urgently-needed political, social and cultural transformation'
-- Ben Rogaly, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Sussex'Rigorously diagnoses a long-term malaise in the UK system of 'asylum accommodation'. An inexorably unaccountable system hidden in plain sight, in poverty blighted communities. A system that separates people from mainstream life, frequently with loss of hope and health. A system that reduces people to unit costs in often profitable company accounts. A system that does not need to be like this. This book shows us how to change it'
-- Graham O'Neill, human rights worker for Commission for Racial Equality, Equality and Human Rights Commission and Scottish Refugee Council'A forensic and compelling examination of how systems that exist in theory to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society end up harming them'
-- Daniel Trilling, journalist and author of 'Lights In The Distance: Exile and Refuge at the Borders of Europe''A much-needed book about the workings and effects of dispersal. Darling brilliantly unveils how exhaustion operates as a governing strategy; how the sufferings of dispersal are created by or endured through withdrawal, fragmentation, weariness, but also defiance and care'
-- Anne-Marie Fortier, Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University'Essential and compelling [...] illuminates the humanity of people navigating their violent dispersal through systems designed to treat them inhumanely'
-- Alison Mountz, author of 'The Death of AsyISBN: 9780745340487
Dimensions: 216mm x 140mm x 17mm
Weight: 261g
256 pages