Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Συγκριτικές Νομικές ΣπουδέςLibrary of the School of Law
Author:
Serafeim Angeliki
Supervisors info:
Ανδρέας Χέλμης, Επίκουρος καθηγητής, Τομέας Ιστορίας & θεωρίας του δικαίου, Νομικό Τμήμα, ΝΟΠΕ/ΕΚΠΑ
Ελένη Μουσταΐρα, Καθηγήτρια Συγκριτικού Δικαίου, τομέας Διεθνών Σπουδών, Νομικό Τμήμα, ΝΟΠΕ/ΕΚΠΑ
Φίλιππος Βασιλόγιαννης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Φιλοσοφίας του Δικαίου, Νομικό Τμήμα, ΝΟΠΕ/ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Η επίκληση της μαγείας στη διαδικασία ασύλου από αιτούντες/ούσες καταγόμενους/ες από χώρες της Αφρικής
Translated title:
Witchcraft - related asylum claims by applicants of African origin
Summary:
Research on the “otherness” is always a challenge, unavoidably serving the -mostly implicit - scope of understanding ourselves: doubting on certainties, realizing the structure of our identity and our place and role in the world. It is fatal, that our point of view is western and, having said that, several unpleasant factors may affect our prisma and blur the desired (and rather impossible I argue) objectivity and scientificy of our assumptions: inequality of power, socio-historical heritage and other constraints that must be acknowledged in order to carry out a research. But when it comes to official legal procedures, like the asylum procedures, power inequality is inherent, although the applicants’ allegations are the core of the whole process. The asylum procedures are an advantageous field to examine the issues above. More particularly, the witchcraft – related allegations challenge the core of the western culture: rationalism. The dichotomization of natural and supernatural, of real and unreal, of rational and irrational has been the boast of western modernity, the proof of our progress. What happens when asylum applicants express witchcraft–related fear before asylum authorities? How the latter try to maintain or introduce the distinction between subjectivity and objectivity in that case? Those are some of the problematics analysed in this essay, based on review of selected decisions on asylum claims - which aims rather to engender questions than to give answers.
Main subject category:
Law and Legislation
Keywords:
asylum, international protection, refugee, particular social group, religion, anthropology of religion, witchcraft, sorcery, magic
Number of references:
123
