Switzerland as a Safe Haven? Discussing the everyday experiences of refugees

This workshop addresses persons who live in Switzerland as recognised refugees from different countries of origin. We seek to first present key outcomes of the research project "Violent Safe Havens? Articulations and Repercussions of Violence in Refugee Reception and Settlement". Participants will then have the opportunity to exchange views with the researchers and provide feedback on the project and its outcomes.

Since spring 2020, Carolin Fischer and Manuel Insberg have been examining the question of how far-reaching protection through asylum is and what limits it. Does asylum enable those affected to return to a sense of normality, to a subjectively fulfilling everyday life worth living? Is asylum synonymous with freedom from violence? To answer these questions, the researchers conducted ethnographic studies in Norway and Switzerland over a period of one and a half years. The results of this research provide complex insights into the interplay between protection and violence in the everyday lives of people living with refugee status in both countries.

In this workshop, the research findings will be shared and discussed with persons who have been granted asylum in Switzerland and who are the primary focus of the project.

The workshop lasts half a day. Travel expenses for participants will be covered and everybody is invited to join us for lunch at the end of the workshop. The results of the workshop will be documented and made available to the participants.