Refugee Cities: How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan

Refugee Cities chronicles the lives of ordinary Afghans living in low-income neighborhoods in Peshawar and Karachi, revealing how global wars have impacted their everyday lives and how cities are important sites of identity-making for people of migrant origins. It also documents how many Afghans have been forced to leave Pakistan due to the War-on-Terror era.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 13 September 2022
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Between the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in the 1970s and the aftermath of the 2001 War on Terror, Refugee Cities explores the impact of global conflicts on the daily lives of Afghans who have sought refuge in Pakistan. This book offers a vital glimpse into the ordinary lives of a long-term refugee population, surpassing the mere headlines of war, terrorism, or helpless suffering. It also deepens our understanding of how cities, rather than nations, serve as significant sites of identity formation for individuals of migrant origins. In Refugee Cities, Sanaa Alimia reconstructs local microhistories to chronicle the experiences of ordinary individuals residing in low-income neighborhoods in Peshawar and Karachi, shedding light on the ways in which they have shaped and transformed these cities. Despite the challenges of obtaining formal citizenship in Pakistan, Afghans have established new communities, expanded city boundaries, built cities through their labor in construction projects, and forged new urban identities, often alongside Pakistanis. Their struggles, however, remain a significant yet overlooked aspect of Pakistan's urban history. Recognizing the profound influence of geopolitics on the Afghan experience in Pakistan, the book also documents the forced displacement of many Afghans during the War on Terror era. Consequently, it serves as a poignant documentation of the various displacements experienced by migrants and the growing acceptance of deportation as a facet of "refugee management."

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 228 x 151 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781512822861