Susan L. Einbinder's 'Refrains In Exile'

In recent years much of Western society has chosen to not only categorize refugees under ethnic headings, but also to implement measures to prevent these groups from receiving asylum within their borders. Yet, the concept of ethnic-based categorization was especially foreign during the Middle Ages, a time where refugee crises were documented through the stories, memories, and livelihoods of the individuals involved. Susan L. Einbinder’s “Refrains in Exile” illustrates this idea through her analysis of poems and laments that display the personal struggles of displaced Jews in the fourteenth century, and the manner in which they were welcomed and recognized by their new host country. But, although humanizing modern-day refugees would be an astounding

This falls in line with what Einbinder identifies in Parma 1883, in that not only was displacement discussed, but also the outcome of the event, the reconstruction of their society, and the welcoming into a new nation. This demonstrates a personal history of the Trabots, from their origins in France, to their settlement in Northern Italy. But, it is important to acknowledge that within these laments, the feelings of the authors are firmly rooted in the writings. Yet, in spite of this, these local and personal details are lost, and instead replaced with statements of ethnicities. This is the issue that is being seen in the modern era, as with the Syrian refugees. Thus, a shift to a more medieval perspective would humanize refugees, possibly making it easier for these people to be recognized and subsequently

Gibney’s chapter. Along with the ethnic-based categorization of refugees, Western nations actively aim to prevent these people from receiving asylum in their country. To make matters worse, these measures are often out of public view, allowing them to continue unnoticed by most non-refugees. Thus, the prevention of certain ‘categories’, again like the Syrians, from receiving the help that they rightfully deserve, furthers the cycle of dehumanization. With that said, some of the restrictions used by Western countries include: visa regimes, carrier sanctions or fines due to undocumented passengers, pre-inspection agreements in foreign countries, and interdiction or the interruption of the asylum process. But, if for whatever reason such practices become public, Western countries use the following justifications: the assertion that countries do not have a responsibility to protect refugees outside their borders; the claim that these methods prevent refugees from abusing the system; and the allegation that the different measures prevent nations from being to burdened, whether it be financially or logistically. Up until now, these arguments have allowed Western nations to perpetuate their system, but that does not mean that society should stand for that. Yet, although it may be the ideal to rid society of all ‘non-arrival measures’ for the better of