The Global Refugee Crisis

Ironically, we feel less safe and more fearful in a world that is increasingly securitized. In the context of post 9-11 Islamophobia, the safety of Muslim refugees and asylum seekers is in jeopardy. Because of the Syrian civil war, Europe endured a major “security crisis” as millions of displaced people sought refuge. Henceforth, since 2016 European anti-immigrant regimes rose tightening border control.

​

Contrasting with increasing external border securitization, this Dialogue demonstrates how cities can offer refuge through innovative social spatial roles and political agency. With its massive refugee flow, we will explore how Palermo shapes the perception and experience of safety and fear. Moreover, we will look at how the Sicilian capital creates safe places distinguished by urban practices of inclusion and protection.

​

When securitized states with their harsh border control generate politics of fear and exclusion, cities of refuge are charged with creating safe havens of inclusion for refugees. Securitized states and cities of refuge are two sides of the same coin; therefore, this program will analyze the relationship between states and their cities that receive and accommodate refugees.