Abstract

Divided into three thematic parts to guide the reader, this important volume documents the development and implementation of refugee policy in South Africa over a 10-year period from 1996 until 2006. In doing so, it addresses issues of detention, gender, children and health as well as welfare policies for refugees. The contributions, all written by academics and practitioners of refugee protection, vividly illustrate the tangible shifts and concerns of a process that is not only aimed at establishing policies and legislation but also practices concerning refugees.

Jonathan Klaaren is Professor of Law and Acting Head of the School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Lee Anne de la Hunt will spend two terms from October 2010 to March 2011 as a Visiting Fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford Department of International Development.

“Interesting contribution to an often too Euro-centric discourse.” • Verfassung und Recht in Übersee / Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America

“The book is a well-researched and balanced discussion of South Africa’s attempt to address its refugee problems. All the contributors are either legal experts, general scholars or experts with extensive experience on human rights and refugee issues.” • African and Asian Studies

“…a useful resource for practitioners and activists, both in South Africa and elsewhere. It represents a substantive study in an area that has been neglected, particularly in South Africa, and points to the dire need for more research and study.” • H-SAfrica

“This collection of essays is a significant advance in the field of refugee protection and the law in South Africa, as very little research has been done on this topic. Few authors other than those included in the collection have addressed wider refugee and migration issues in South… a very enlightening resource for both practitioners and academic researchers in South Africa and elsewhere.” • African Affairs

“This book will provide important background reading for a second generation of researchers to look beyond the establishment of the asylum system to consider the extent to which, over the long term, there is substantial and contextually appropriate asylum policy in South Africa. It is equally useful for those involved in comparative studies of different asylum systems because of the detail that is provided about the internal functioning of the relevant South African government departments.” • International Migration & Integration

Jeff Handmaker is a lecturer in law, human rights and development at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University in The Hague and honorary research fellow at the School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand.