Sahrawi Migration in the Context of a Protracted Refugee Situation – a Description of the Phenomenon and Critical Analysis of the State of Research

Abstract

Algerian-based Sahrawi refugee camps were established 46 years ago. From that moment, Sahrawis have continuously migrated within organized mobility projects and individually. The aim of the article is to describe this migration as well as critically analyse the state of research. On the basis of a literature review, I have identified both research gaps and some methodological and analytical tendencies: a lack of reliable statistical data, a focus on easily accessible locations and certain groups of migrants, the problem of relating contemporary migration to nomadic traditions, ahistoricism and a lack of processualism in the description of Sahrawi migration, the problematical question of gender in migration processes and the agency of migrants within refugee regimes. Overall, the article introduces the question of Sahrawi migration within a protracted refugee situation and raises questions for further research.