Migration-Related Detention Centers: The Challenges of an Ecological Perspective with a Focus on Justice
BACKGROUND:
In
recent years, border control and migration-related detention have become
increasingly widespread practices affecting the lives of undocumented migrants,
their families, and communities at large. In spite of the concern within
academia, few studies have directly witnessed the life and experiences of
people confined to migration-related detention centers. In the medical and
psychological fields, a considerable body of research has demonstrated the
pathogenic nature of detention in terms of mental health, showing an
association between length of detention and severity of distress. Nevertheless,
it was limited to the assessment of individuals' clinical consequences, mainly
focusing on asylum seekers. There currently exists a need to adopt an
ecological perspective from which to study detained migrants' experiences as
context-dependent, and influenced by power inequalities. This paper addresses
this gap.
DISCUSSION:
Drawing
upon advances in community psychology, we illustrate an ecological framework
for the study of migration-related detention contexts, and their effects on the
lives of detained migrants and all people exposed to them. Making use of
existing literature, Kelly's four principles (interdependence, cycling of
resources, adaptation, succession) are analyzed at multiple ecological levels
(personal, interpersonal, organizational, communal), highlighting implications
for future research in this field. A focus on justice, as a key-dimension of
analysis, is also discussed. Wellbeing is acknowledged as a multilevel,
dynamic, and value-dependent phenomenon.
SUMMARY:
In
presenting this alternative framework, the potential for studying
migration-related detention through an ecological lens is highlighted, pointing
the way for future fields of study. We argue that ecological multilevel
analyses, conceptualized in terms of interdependent systems and with a focus on
justice, can enhance the comprehension of the dynamics at play in
migration-related detention centers, providing an effective tool to address the
multi-level challenges of doing research within them. Furthermore, they can
contribute to the development of policies and practices concerned with health,
equality, and human rights of all people exposed to migration-related
detention. Consistent with these assumptions, empirical studies adopting such a
framework are strongly encouraged. These studies should use mixed and
multi-method culturally situated designs, based on the development of
collaborative and empowering relationships with participants. Ethnographic
approaches are recommended.
Below: Kelly’s four principles, and
the dimension of justice across multiple ecological levels of analysis.
Interdependence, Cycling of Resources, Adaptation, Succession, and Justice are
interdependent components, whose effects, across multiple ecological levels
(personal, interpersonal, organizational, communal), are interactive rather
than additive
- 1ISPA, University Institute, Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 32, 1137-039, Lisbon, Portugal. fesposito@ispa.pt.
- 2ISPA, University Institute, Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 32, 1137-039, Lisbon, Portugal. jornelas@ispa.pt.
- 3Department of Humanities, Federico II University of Naples, Via Porta di Massa, 1, 80133, Naples, Italy. caterina.arcidiacono@unina.it.
- BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2015 Jun 6;15:13. doi: 10.1186/s12914-015-0052-0.
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