IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v12y2023i3p131-d1081812.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Vio-lense: A Model for Understanding How Violence and Senses Relate during Refugee Journeys in Europe, and How This in Turn Can Foster Collective Healing

Author

Listed:
  • Georgina Lewis

    (College of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PY, UK)

Abstract

Introduction: The ‘senses’—our sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch—are intrinsic components of our human experience. Trauma recovery practitioners afford the senses to foster healing and draw into awareness the sensations of the traumatised body. Therefore, if the senses are valuable in trauma recovery, then they must also be important in the initial traumatic acts—such as violence. Aim: This ongoing PhD project explores the role of senses in violence committed towards refugees and asylum seekers in Europe. Method: A sensorial model is developed through semi-structured interviews and key engagement with literature and research. Results: An excess and absence of senses are critical in understanding violence endured by refugees and asylum seekers, but also in how violence is witnessed and perceived by others. It is clear people on the move experience violence sensorially throughout their journey. Conclusions: The senses are evidently part of the violence. At times, violence is in sensorial excess: the sounds of camps; the smell of tear gas. Alternatively, a concealment or deprivation of senses can also be violent: camps on the periphery; violence out of sight. Notably, senses (in excess or through concealment) can also be vital components in the survival of violence. “Vio-lense” is a suggested model for considering ‘violence’ and ‘senses’ as being essentially interwoven rather than separate. This, in turn, is important for development of collective healing mechanisms and, more widely, defining and understanding violence.

Suggested Citation

  • Georgina Lewis, 2023. "Vio-lense: A Model for Understanding How Violence and Senses Relate during Refugee Journeys in Europe, and How This in Turn Can Foster Collective Healing," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:131-:d:1081812
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/131/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/131/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:131-:d:1081812. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.