Abstract

The label ‘refugee’ is often used to describe a person long after they have settled as a permanent resident in a new country. What ‘refugee’ means to those labeled as such, however, is regularly missing from discourses about third country resettlement. This article seeks to bring attention to such voices, acknowledging them as crucial to discussions about the usefulness and relevance of the ‘refugee’ label in a settlement context. Drawing data from in-depth interviews with ethnic Karen people, I highlight participants’ perceptions of their identities after they have settled in an Australian city. I demonstrate that many participants stopped thinking of themselves as ‘refugees’ upon arrival in Australia.

摘要

“难民”这个标签经常被用来形容一个人在一个新国家作为永久居民定居很久之后。然而，对于那些被贴上“难民”标签的人来说，“难民”意味着什么，却经常从关于第三国重新安置的讨论中消失。本文试图引起对这些声音的关注，承认它们对于讨论“难民”标签在定居环境中的有用性和相关性至关重要。从对克伦族人的深入访谈中提取数据，我强调了参与者在澳大利亚城市定居后对其身份的看法。我证明许多参与者在抵达澳大利亚后不再认为自己是“难民”。