Previous articleNext article FreeCurrent ApplicationsLinguistic AnthropologyV.ChandV.Chand Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreImmigration Practices in Belgium: African AsylumSeeker DiscourseJan Blommaert, a Belgian anthropologist currently at the Institute of Education, University of London, is known in Belgium as a public campaigner on immigration issues. He became involved in African asylumseekers rights in 1998, when the death of Semira Adamu during her forced repatriation provoked a public outcry over the implementation of Belgian immigration policies, in which more than 95% of applicants for asylum are rejected. Adamu had fled Nigeria in her teens to avoid entering into a polygamous marriage with a 65yearold man. Shackled at the ankles and vigorously resisting, she was suffocated by Belgian police attempting to restrain her.Poster for a 2003 commemoration of Adamu's death.View Large ImageDownload PowerPointAdamus death was a catalyst for the formation of new action groups, and existing organizations also became involved: churches opened their doors to asylum seekers, and NGOs such as OXFAM and the League of Human Rights campaigned for asylum seekers rights. Early on, Blommaert contributed to this organic collaborative effort: I gave tons of public lectures for any audience willing to listen, wrote opeds in major newspapers, campaigned with MPs close to the government, participated in public debates on these matters, and wrote expert articles for a wider audience. Additionally, he saw that his understanding of the legal and sociolinguistic issues was directly applicable to the problem. He was motivated, he explains, by awareness of the real stakes and real people involved.African asylum seekers face circumstances not shared with those from Europe and the Gulf because they come from wartorn areas with unclear state boundaries, may be illiterate and lack documentation, have long migration paths to Belgium, and do not share a language with immigration authorities. In particular, Blommaert points out, their choices of language, background texts, and genres for storytelling affect their chances of acquiring refugee status. African asylumseeker language is stereotypically filled with language mixing, language impurities, varying degrees of literacy, and different styles of storytelling and discourse. When asylum seekers present their stories, they are unaware of how the officials are judging them on their linguistic habits. The officials note these details and find them inconsistent with Belgian expectations; they judge the asylum seekers in terms of these nave choices and reject them. In many such cases, rejection is a matter of life or death for the refugees, given the risks associated with deportation and with repatriation into the home country that originally motivated them to seek asylum.Blommaert has mobilized an informal network of Belgian academics and institutions that has produced many academically informed public statements. Additionally, by documenting and analyzing oral immigration interviews with an eye to understanding the disconnect between asylum seekers presentations and immigration officials expectations, he has improved practice in the Immigration Department. He has used his analysis to train members of the department, helping to adjust views of what can be gathered in an immigration interview, to improve interview techniques, and to promote an awareness of variability in sociocultural linguistic norms and presentation styles.He continues to work as an official expert for Belgian legal, government, and security authorities, translating and analyzing documentation and corroboratory written texts provided for immigration procedures and advising on specific issues. He has been able to influence outcomes for some individual asylum seekers. His public campaigning has raised awareness of the issues surrounding African asylum seekers, and his publications have provoked work within academia that may lead to further interventions by academics with regard to the interview process.Blommaert hopes that public campaigning by NGOs and academic scholarship will promote continued dialogue with immigration officials, eventually producing policies and procedures that take into account the politics of migration and displacement and the way in which asylum seekers frame their life stories. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Current Anthropology Volume 47, Number 3June 2006 Sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/504161 Views: 287Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Kevin D. O'Gorman, Cailein Gillespie The mythological power of hospitality leaders?, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 22, no.55 (Jul 2010): 659–680.https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111011053792