Martin Joormann
Affiliated researcher
Asylum Case Adjudication in Sweden, Country of Origin Information, and Epistemic Violence
Author
Editor
- Stine Piilgaard Porner Nielsen
- Ole Hammerslev
Summary, in English
This chapter on country of origin information (COI) draws on the semi-structured interviews I have been conducting between the years 2014 and 2022 with the responsible decision makers of the Swedish welfare state: migration court judges. By applying Spivak’s concept of ‘epistemic violence’ in my qualitative content analysis of ten of these interviews, I problematise the COI that judges apply when they adjudicate. The epistemic violence embedded in asylum determination procedures in general is influenced by the institutionalised power imbalance that characterises the Swedish asylum system. The analysis of the corresponding power relations – between people seeking asylum from refugee-sending countries and decision makers of a wealthy welfare state – leads the critical observer to detect parallels with the colonial bureaucratic violence of earlier historical periods.
Department/s
- Department of Sociology of Law
Publishing year
2023-12-30
Language
English
Publication/Series
Transformations of European Welfare States and Social Rights : Regulation, Professionals, and Citizens
Document type
Book chapter
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
Topic
- Other Social Sciences
Status
Published