Page 99 - IJPS-9-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Refugees’ voices in Brazilian cities

while aimed at guaranteeing their protection, does not consultation at the municipal level, aiming to secure
promote their real participation as recognized political their survival within the political system in force. They
and rights subjects. On the contrary, these rights, within may imitate the dominant group simply to become
the prevailing social order, are interpreted as “small favors” “sympathetic to the dominant eyes” and avoid the complete
granted to the “least favored,” thereby depriving them of an annihilation of their identity and rights. In this case, it does
authentic voice and relegating them to a world-system for not entail total depersonalization of the subject. In this
which they were not idealized— they are visible but “mute.” “masked” state, such individuals constantly negotiate their
Conversely, we should promote the direct participation alliances with the dominant social power, as well as with
of individuals in situations of refuge rather than relying the other subalternized groups. They navigate numerous
exclusively on their indirect (representative) participation. interstices and intersections of identities and differences,
The promotion of the current “universal” representation where intersubjective and collective expressions of cultural
means the recognition that the aforementioned value and common interest are negotiated (Bhabha, 2002;
subalternized group, in fact, has no room for enunciation Bidaseca, 2010). These intersections may involve ethnicity
— even less a voice of their own. However, given that the and gender, class and gender, class and ethnicity and
subalternized individuals are often denied the opportunity gender, religion and ethnicity, and religion and gender.
to speak, and when they do, they tend to reproduce the Consequently, they determine when to imitate the current
dominant voice, it is necessary to consider the paradoxical system and when to confront it.
nature of the discourse of the law in the sphere of the In the same sense, the precariousness and unequal
political participation of refugees and refugee applicants. distribution of urban space, conceived from the
Encouraging such participation within the institutionalized perspective of dominant groups, would be an obstacle to
political system could inadvertently utilize the instrument access by subalternized groups to the services, advantages,
of subalternization to grant them an authentic voice and and facilities that the city has to offer. However, through
the corresponding opportunity for enunciation. their daily and embodied collective experiences, these
In this sense, the struggle of social movements faced by same subalternized groups, serving as protagonists in their
refugees and refugee applicants for a space of participation (our) history, end up developing processes of knowledge
in Councils and Municipal Committees, or for the right to and affection that emerge as paradigms within the urban
vote itself, can be seen as the use of the “enemy’s weapon” fabric. They transform these precarious spaces into
to position themselves within an “institutional box” and substantial parts of the struggle for survival, resistance,
continue to reproduce the speech of the dominator, that and advancement in realizing their rights (Trimikliniotis
is, “put on the mask” of that dominator (Habha, 2000; et al., 2015).
Bidaseca, 2010; Fanon, 1986 apud Bidaseca, 2010; Bidaseca,
2010; Pelúcio, 2012). As previously highlighted, in light of 7. Conclusions
the right to political participation, it is worth noting that The Brazilian legal system guarantees that individuals in
despite Article 14 of the 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution refugee situations have access to the citizenship rights
expressly prohibiting the enlistment of foreigners and necessary for the preservation and maintenance of a
denying them the right to vote and stand for elected office, dignified life within the national territory. These rights
refugees and refugee applicants can still exercise their right allow them to access and participate in the city. The right
to political participation through alternative means, such to the city, in essence, constitutes a full right of citizenship,
as participation in councils, committees, and forums. consisting of a set of (human) rights indispensable to
However, similar to the discourse of law, institutionalized the integral participation of the city. This encompasses
forms of political participation should not be abandoned, enjoying all the services, opportunities, and advantages
as they serve as the field of dispute and the “channel offered by the urban space as well as contributing to the
language” for the struggle to guarantee (human) rights. As elaboration, execution, and oversight of public policies.
Pelúcio (2012) presents, the practice of “wearing the mask” According to the senses of city and citizenship concepts
of the dominator can also be adopted as a strategic resource adopted in the present paper, refugees who inhabit the
for resistance and survival. Through mimetic practices, urban space become an integral part of the community.
subalternized individuals “camouflage” themselves They contribute to its (re)building through their presence
(Bhabha, 2002; Bidaseca, 2010) and begin to destabilize, and interactions with other members, all from a citizen’s
renege, and confront this domination (Bidaseca, 2010). perspective. By being recognized as legitimate citizens,
Therefore, individuals in refugee situations would individuals in refugee situations possess the right to the
seek participation in institutionalized bodies of popular city they inhabit. Through the enjoyment and exercise of

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2023) 93 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.438