Refugee camps as spaces of rescue in times of Covid-19: invisible mobilities in Bourj Albarajenah

What is it about?

This paper aims to explore the peculiarity of the pandemic in stateless communities. Through a case study from a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon, we analyse how Palestinian refugees were affected by and responded to the pandemic. We find that the legal exclusion of refugees from the state protection has generated invisible mobility, which further increased the risk of spreading the virus. Refugees have founded their own community response mechanisms of food sharing and crowdfunding: for instance, they established Aman medical centre in the camp, which has become a destination for infected, yet undocumented, residents of the city.

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Why is it important?

Palestinian refugees used this invisible mobility to save other refugees, therefore proving how refugee camps can become spaces of rescue in times of global emergency