Educational scientist Frauke Schacht from Innsbruck warns against a “fire hazard” distinction between “first and second class refugees”. By this, the researcher means how refugees are perceived in public. In their statements, politicians distinguish between the refugee flow in 2015 and the current situation. This serves only a “discourse of distribution”.
She had heard “of great resentment” among refugees long in the Austrian asylum procedure and failed to understand why Ukrainians were fewer “bricks in the way” and faced fewer “administrative hurdles,” Schacht said in an interview with the APA. the education scientist reveals the war in Ukraine racism and “entrepreneurial patterns of thought”, and these would also be served by high-ranking politicians such as Chancellor Karl Nehammer or Integration Minister Susanne Raab (both ÖVP).
‘No refugees first and second class’
“The fact that Karl Nehammer distinguishes between refugees from Afghanistan and those from Ukraine is extremely dangerous,” said Schacht, a senior scientist at the University of Innsbruck. “Distinguishing between deeply held and stereotyped beliefs among refugees is an extremely violent act. There should be no first-class or second-class refugees,” emphasizes Schacht. It is “poison to society as a whole”. “It’s not about deciding who to help, it’s our historical and global responsibility,” emphasizes the expert.
There are several explanations for the “double standard” currently observed. “Racism would be an oversimplified explanation for this,” explains Schacht. But especially the geographic proximity to Ukraine “plays an important role”, according to the expert. This makes the crisis “more tangible”. People often come overland and spend less time on the road. Moreover, the different perceptions can also be explained from a critical gender perspective: “Women and children are often seen as innocent victims, while men are often seen as violent and violent”. In fact, in 2015 it was mainly young male refugees who came to Austria. Now it is mainly women, children and the elderly.
Reduction of people to flight experience
In her work, Schacht campaigns against the ‘victimization’ of people who have fled and advocates that they not be reduced to just their flying experience. Instead, you should focus on meeting your counterpart – whether you’ve run or not. Speaking publicly about one’s own flying experience and thereby performing a kind of “soul striptease” also requires a “certain relationship of trust” and is “therefore in many contexts not possible – let alone wanted”.
Because a distinction is made between different ‘categories’ of people, ‘own grievances are often outsourced’, Schacht concludes. Society’s inherent oppression of people who are read as women, an increasing number of femicides and sexism are examples of this. Rather, the focus should be on “the big picture and the reasons to flee per se”. Here too, it is about “postcolonial power relations”, according to the educational scientist.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
