On being host and guest : questions posed by migrants

Abstract

Migration has become a hot-button issue. Mention immigration and one gets particularly strong reactions; the term “immigrant” has become synonymous with a situation deemed especially problematic. Nevertheless, migration has always existed and there are - even today - many different kinds of migrants. For instance, it is clear that asylum has been granted to persons fleeing persecution since time immemorial; we can already find references in texts written 3,500 years ago by the Hittites, the Babylonians, the Assyrians and the ancient Egyptians. This notwithstanding, it appears that, nowadays, “migration” has become synonymous with political, legal, and moral complexity. Indeed, there are moves to replace “migrant” with “refugee.” The move is commendable in terms of its being an attempt to clarify our language, but is deeply problematic in that dropping the term covers up for the fact that the human rights of so many are indeed forgotten or hidden behind a façade of legal constructs.