Why the world fears refugees (Narrated by Zygmunt Bauman)
The Polish-born sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, who died last week in the United Kingdom, aged 91, was a former refugee from both Nazi and Communist regimes and one of the most influential thinkers of our time. In this powerful animation broadcast by Al Jazeera in October 2016, Bauman, then a Professor Emeritus at Leeds University, explains why he thinks so many Europeans (and others in the rich world) fear refugees and migrants. He argues that those who fear the most are the “precariat” – people whose lives are marked by precariousness, anxiety and fear. As Europe raises walls and the xenophobic backlash against foreigners grows, he observes that migration flows are not going to stop and a solution must be found.
KJ
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