Voicing Power, Asserting Rights: Burundian Refugees and their Acts of Citizenship in Transnational Social Spaces

Against the backdrop of contestations over the meaning of ‘citizenship’ and ‘refuge’ in cities the global south, as well as restrictive and securitized refugee policies, I explore the lived realities of Burundian refugees, and their engagements with citizenship within Transnational Social Spaces. Towards these ends my central research question is: How do Burundian urban refugees engage in “acts of citizenship” amidst the shifting refugee policy landscape, strained state-society relations with their country of origin, and perceived regional apathy? This investigation follows the tradition of studies in political transnationalism, specifically, the transnational political practices of refugees. Thus, it brings two fields into conversation; political transnationalism, and Acts of Citizenship. However, there exists a dearth of literature on the transnational political practices oriented towards the Global South, or indeed South-South engagements. This project addresses a critical empirical and methodological gap by centring the voice and political agency of refugees, while providing critical insights into their own articulations of solutions, engagements with Durable Solutions for refugees, regional and global protection mechanisms, and statecraft. Another important element of acts of citizenship as a unit of analysis is the centring of acts over “being/identity”. As such, the individual performing said act need not be a politician, or an activist, an abject, or alien. Acts of citizenship can be enacted or performed by citizens and non-citizens alike—the act produces the actor. Thus acts of citizenship pick up from this moment of political subjectivization, where ordinary individuals become political actors, engaged on their own or collectively. While numerous studies have highlighted various forms of migrant activism, this is not the sole province of this investigation. Rather, this study engages with a range of ‘acts of citizenship’ including but not limited to: youth movements, access to education and health care, the defense of human rights in their country of origin, freedom of the press, and regime change. This is a slight departure from New Social Movement theory, as the acts of citizenship approach does not only focus on collective mobilization or identity formation. Thus allowing for the capture of spontaneous moments, mobilizations, and movements which characterize the acts of citizenship of Burundian urban refugees and their immense emancipatory potential.