Agency of the Refugees in Camp Governance: Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh
摘要
This chapter explores the agency of the refugees in camp governance through the case of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. In line with the growing literature that focuses on the active agency of the refugees, this study argues that the refugees are no longer only the receivers of humanitarian assistance or people in need. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh help the host state apparatus and humanitarian organizations govern the camp and manage humanitarian activities there. They do so in two ways: taking part in the camp governance as majhi and rendering social protection to fellow refugees. Refugees contribute to camp governance by performing the responsibility of majhi. Majhis are the bridge-builders between the administration and refugees, and they are also representative of the refugees. Rohingya refugees, particularly youth-led camp-based organizations, with or without assistance from humanitarian organizations working in the camps, contribute to providing social protection within their limited capacities to their fellow refugees. Taking community development and empowerment as a “responsibility,” the young-led Rohingya organizations in the camps actively work to provide social security to fellow refugees and contribute to the development of the community.