The possibilities of solidarities and resistances in the context of the claimant-lawyer collaboration on the preparation of an asylum claim

Dahin, Charlotte
(2023) Intersectional solidarities and resistances in face of violent migration regimes — Location: Universiteit Gent (12.October.2023)

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The Canadian refugee determination process (the context studied in my thesis) is a complex process that is difficult to navigate without assistance. As the process is particularly complicated, people claiming refugee status may be represented by a lawyer or other counsel, which happens in most cases (Rehaag, 2011). It has already been shown that representation is a critical element in the success of an asylum application (Rehaag, 2011). This paper is concerned with the claimant-lawyer relationship in this context and, more specifically, with the possible solidarities and resistances that can emerge from this relationship as part of preparing an asylum claim. Although the claimant-lawyer relationship is marked by a significant power differential, certain solidarities and resistances emerging in this context have already been highlighted in the literature. For example, the role of immigration representatives and refugee claimants and their way of working together in choosing what to write about in the asylum forms regarding prevailing Western norms and expectations have already been explored (Jacobs & Maryns, 2022; Oxford, 2008, 2016). Gender, race, class, and other intersecting axes of social division play a role in this context as they impact not only the client-lawyer relationship but also the expectations of decision-makers towards refugee claimants (Oxford, 2008). In this paper, I present the part of the data I collected for my thesis (through semi-structured interviews with refugee women and lawyers and observations of their encounters) on this issue.
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Dahin, C. (2023). The possibilities of solidarities and resistances in the context of the claimant-lawyer collaboration on the preparation of an asylum claim. Intersectional solidarities and resistances in face of violent migration regimes, Universiteit Gent.