Abstract

Scholars often study refugee camps as hierarchical structures, with a predominant focus on the authorities in charge of the camps (i.e., Agier, 2010; Ticktin, 2011). However, this approach often overlooks the role of refugees as key co-creators of the camps. This thesis seeks to explore the agency of refugees in the camp development by examining their everyday practices that give camp dwellers a sense of belonging (i.e., home-making practices). Specifically, I seek to shift the analysis of refugee camps by placing refugees at the center of the inquiry. Through three manuscript essays, I explore the following research themes: 1- The range of home-making practices that are mobilized in the refugee camp, 2- The level of agency the refugees have to shape, conceive and imagine their own living spaces and the factors or determinants that influence this agency, 3- Finally, I seek to understand how the camps are spatially and temporally constructed and how this is defined by exchanges, interactions and flows within and beyond their boundaries. Drawing on theories of home-making (Brun & Fabos, 2015; Elmasri, 2020; Dudley, 2011), assemblage (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987; De Landa, 2006; McFarlane, 2009; Dovey, 2010), and refugee agency (Ramadan, 2012; Abourahmeh, 2015), and utilizing a methodology that blends empirical and archival research, this study examines three Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan: Baqa’a, Al-Husn, and Talbiyeh. The findings demonstrate that refugees exercise agency at both the individual dwelling and camp-wide scale. The evidence reveals that through engaging in different everyday tasks (such as gardening, masonry, textile crafts, etc.) the refugees develop a deep sense of place and identity that transcends the physical space of the camp. However, the ability to do so is conditioned by the resources, social and political networks and geographic attributes of their respective camp space. The ultimate objective of this thesis is to identify new solutions that engage refugees as co-creators in camp assemblage, thereby improving living conditions in refugee camps.