Original scientific paper
An Attempt at Typologizing Refugees and Expellees
Milan Mesić
; Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper is based on a report from a field investigation conducted by the author, with the aid of his students, during January, February and the beginning of March 1992. Eighty internal and twenty external Croatian refugees were querried. (In the introductory part of the text the author notes the inadequacy of the Croatian terminology, which designates all internal refugees, and displaced persons respectively, as expellees (prognanici.) The survey questions presented in this paper concern the reasons for leaving the place of residence and the various refugee experiences in the new surroundings. The author claims that six types of refugees can be determined, based on the levels of endangerment and drama of their pre-refugee experience — these would be: 1) pre-refugees, 2) pseudo-refugees, 3) impelled persons, 4) refugees from war destruction and occupation, 5) expellees, and 4) ex-prisoners-refugees. Experiences during the refugee period are generally positive or negative, and they can be illustrated, just as the refugee types, on the basis of the informants' statements. Finally, linking together the various dimensions in the examination of the refugee situation, the author distinguishes three types of people living in refuge: 1) resignated persons, 2) realists, and 3) discontents.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
127289
URI
Publication date:
30.11.1992.
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