IPS Global South Presubmission Scheme

M. grew up in Gambia. Married at twelve, to a man she did not know, she soon became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl. She raised her, under abusive conditions. By the time her daughter turned eleven, M. knew her child would face the same fate of a forced marriage in Gambia. She decided to flee. She applied for asylum and managed to get protection in Brazil. Living in difficult conditions, learning a language and a set of social expectations in a country ravaged by racial and gender discriminations, M. endured for the sake of her own freedom and that of her daughter. She became an informal social worker for other women seeking asylum, helping them cope with a system and society poorly suited for their own projects, desires, and dreams. Her presence and eloquence soon made her an important reference in her local refugee community. She started an undergraduate program in international relations (IR), and her daughter is now following suit. She landed a few gigs in theater and television. She presents herself as a social activist and cultural entrepreneur, sewing and selling African style dresses, necklaces, and earrings whose profit pays her family bills. She says she is happy that she made it through the system, but she knows her own reinvention is far from ending. Every day is a struggle. She plays the role of the grateful subject, but she has faced different, yet similar, forms of violence, insecurity, prejudice, and injustice in what is supposed to be her new community. Lines of f(l)ight are always on her horizon.

Daughter · Face (sociological concept) · Forced marriage · Girl · Injustice · Media studies · Political science · Refugee · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · International Development and Aid · Law · Psychology · Religion, Society, and Development

• International, Political, Sociology

  Open Access•D Bigo, R B J Walker•International Political Sociology•2007

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