Destination Detroit: Discourses on the Refugee in a Post-Industrial City

Deindustrializing and revitalizing cities in the US are at a crossroads regarding the contest over refugees. This book explores the discourse on refugees produced by various institutions in Metro Detroit, providing a glimpse into how U.S. cities are defining and redefining themselves. The figure of the refugee becomes a slate on which groups with varied interests write their stories, aspirations, and fears, revealing the ongoing question of what it means to be a Metro Detroiter and a revitalizing US city.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 210 pages
Publication date: 04 January 2024
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Deindustrializing and revitalizing cities in the United States are at a critical juncture when it comes to the debate over refugees. Do refugees represent opportunity or danger? These cities are desperately seeking ways to stem population and resource loss. At the same time, they are grappling with local communities that are experiencing internal displacement due to economic and technological changes. Few U.S. locations provide a more vivid case study of this conflict than Metro Detroit, where competing interest groups are engaged in a fierce war over the meaning of the refugee figure. This book delves deeply into the discourse on refugees that various institutions in Metro Detroit are producing. The way in which local institutions talk about refugees offers valuable insights into how they navigate competing pressures and how the city as a whole navigates competing imperatives. Indeed, the way various groups talk about refugees in Metro Detroit provides a crucial glimpse into how U.S. cities are defining and redefining themselves today. The refugee figure becomes a canvas on which groups with diverse interests write their stories, aspirations, and fears. Consequently, we can glean from local refugee discourses the ongoing question of what it means to be a Metro Detroiter at this time—and, by extension, what it means to be a revitalizing U.S. city at this juncture.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472056453