Clamouring for Legal Protection

Clamouring for Legal Protection is a must-read for any current or aspiring attorney. This insightful book demonstrates the crucial need to go beyond the law to be a good lawyer. By conducting an in-depth study of the Great Books, Barsky not only proves the existence of a timeless tradition of seeking refuge and providing asylum, but he also reminds us of the power of literature to evoke empathy and self-actualization. -- Ana Luquerna, The International Court of Justice * Yale Journal on Regulation *
Barsky’s book … underscores literature’s power to expose, inform and sensitize and promote empathy, recognition and identification. -- Steven Mintz, University of Texas at Austin * Inside Higher Ed *
Barsky brings to the project a rare combination of expertise in world literature and refugee law … Drawing on a truly impressive variety of texts spanning the classical to the contemporary and a collection of images and illustrations in the books he discusses, he provides remarkable insight into central questions about refuge, migration, strangers, and protection. -- Amy Shuman, The Ohio State University * Human Rights Quarterly *
A book exploring forced migration in great novels and what it can tell us about contemporary legal processes for refugees is a much-needed addition to the literature. While the field of law and literature is now quite rich, books and articles that explore this relationship in the context of refugees and migrants are rather thin on the ground … Robert Barsky’s book promises to go some way to rectifying this gap. He has a distinguished record as a writer and teacher on the experience of refugeehood, and, as is evident in this book, he has a passion for literature. -- Simon Behrman * International Journal of Refugee Law *
Until Barsky’s book there have been few resources to tie the important legal skills of narrative theory and storytelling to the context of immigration law. Clamouring for Legal Protection’s connection of immigration law to literature is unique, insightful, and a much-needed addition toward advancing the Kafkaesque, David-versus-Goliath struggle for immigrant justice. -- Cori Alonso-Yoder * Journal of Legal Education *
There is plenty on offer here to delight and surprise readers … Some of the connections that Barsky draws between literary texts and characters are also highly thought-provoking in ways relevant for the migrant and refugee themes … the literary works are themselves typically described in enough detail (and indeed quoted at sufficient length) that even those with no prior knowledge can appreciate their relevance to the point being made. For all the reasons given above, Clamouring for Legal Protection is an enjoyable book and one worth spending time with. -- David Gurnham, University of Southampton * Law and Humanities *
Clamouring for Legal Protection provides a humanistic lens through which to view the complex realms of refugee law and border studies. By showing how well-known characters from canonical works face obstacles that resemble those facing contemporary refugees, Barsky is able to create empathy for people who are often denigrated or shunned as ‘outsiders’, rather than welcomed as inspiring contributors to host societies. * Deborah Anker, Clinical Professor of Law and Founder of the Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, Harvard Law School, USA *
Barsky adeptly draws out how the experiences of literary characters we may have known since childhood can help us understand the challenges faced by migrants today … The preface and introductory chapters are well worth reading on their own for Barsky’s discussions of the role of literature, and issues/debates around ‘canons’ and ‘canonisation’ in literature … In reading Barsky’s book I have indeed found myself reflecting anew on stories and characters I thought I knew so well, and have found a new reason to re-engage with literature. -- Natasha Saunders, University of St Andrews * Border Criminologies *
With stunning erudition, Barsky follows the trajectory of vulnerable migrants (asylum seekers, temporary migrant workers, undocumented migrants…) and combines the ‘Great Books’ of world literature with contemporary legal tenets to explore the complexity of their predicament, demonstrating that, throughout history, many individuals follow the ancient tradition of hospitality and protect migrants, but, swayed by populist identity politics, many societies blame migrants for their ills, foster hostile environments and show ‘mountainish inhumanity’. * François Crépeau, Professor of Public International Law, McGill University, Canada *
Published on the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Clamouring for Legal Protection reminds us that escape from untenable situations and the search for asylum are not only rooted throughout the course of human history but also embedded in the iconic characters and universal themes of the great literary works that reflect our common humanity. * Bill Frelick, Director, Refugee and Migrant Rights Division, Human Rights Watch, USA *
I hope, as Barsky does, that a conversation about literature and immigration and refugee law will continue to inspire those working alongside migrants in legal professions and beyond. Barsky’s book is a wonderful place to start that conversation. Clamouring for Legal Protection takes a fascinating journey through the literary canon as it plays out the stories of migrants seeking refuge. Wide-ranging, astute, and accessible, this book will be of interest to scholars and lawyers alike. It would be an excellent text in a course on law, migration studies, or literature, a welcome read for enthusiasts of Dante, the Bible, Steinbeck, and more, and an important reminder for lawyers of the stories that moved them to pursue law in the first place. -- Robert W. Heimburger, Cardiff University, UK * Journal of Law and Religion *