Refugee

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is defined as a person, who:

[...] owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it. (1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees)

Analyze the above quote regarding refugees. What categories are linked to the word “refugee”? Based on this definition do you think refugees have a choice in leaving their home country? Additionally, can you think of any category of refugee that is not included in this quote?

Now look at the following definition of a migrant.

An umbrella term, not defined under international law, reflecting the common lay understanding of a person who moves away from his or her place of usual residence, whether within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently, and for a variety of reasons. (International Organization for Migration)

What are the similarities and differences between these two terms?

Teaching Suggestion: This is an opportunity to introduce the formal definition of the word "refugee." It is likely students have previously heard the term refugee without understanding the difference between this word and "migrant." While the language of these definitions is elevated, this can be treated as an opportunity to introduce and discuss new and more difficult vocabulary to students. Additionally, students may not know that, under international refugee law, signatory states of the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol are bound to provide international protection to those individuals seeking asylum in another country while their claim is processed. By approaching the subject in this manner, students should then make links to the sections of the reading in which countries outright refuse to help the characters in the novel while they are seeking safe passage. Additionally, students may note that while there are many categories of refugee status one might claim, there is not one for environmental refugees (i.e., individuals who must leave their country of origin due to climate change).

• This definition of a "refugee" used in international refugee law comes from the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
• This definition of a "migrant" comes from the International Organization for Migration.
• This map from ReliefWeb shows the countries globally that have signed the Convention and/or the Protocol.

2. Examine the following visuals. What were the top three countries of origin (i.e., the countries refugees come from) in 2019? What were the top three hosting countries (i.e., the countries where refugees reside while waiting to hear if their status is approved) in 2019? Does this information surprise you? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This set of questions would work well for a classroom discussion where, in addition to answering the questions, students practice their "chart-reading" skills in order to derive quantitative information. Students may be surprised to learn that the top hosting countries are not in the West (e.g., the U.S., Germany, Greece) but rather in countries closer to the conflict themselves (i.e., Turkey, Colombia, Jordan). Encourage students to speak about their perceptions of why they believed otherwise. Encourage students to find the top countries of origin for refugees (i.e., Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan) on the map to show their proximity to the top hosting countries. For example, Syria (the largest country of origin of refugees in 2019) shares a border with Turkey (the largest hosting country in 2019) and South Sudan shares borders with both Sudan and Uganda.

• This chart from Statista shows the top three countries of origin of refugees globally in 2019.
• This report entitled “Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2019" from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees includes information about countries of origin and host countries in 2019.