Our Relations to Refugees: Between Compassion and Dehumanization.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• European Studies
• Cultural Anthropology

Background:

• Post-2015 European reactions to foreigners show rising xenophobia and mainstreaming of populist movements.
• Mass rejection of refugees exacerbates their difficult and dangerous conditions during and after flight.
• Current xenophobia is linked to historical European attitudes towards Islam and a conflict between traditionalism and modernism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the roots of contemporary European xenophobia and its impact on refugees.
• To critique the inadequacy of current trauma theories in understanding the refugee predicament.
• To explore the concept of the Freudian Uncanny in relation to societal attitudes towards refugees.

Main Methods:

• Historical analysis of European attitudes towards Islam and foreigners.
• Theoretical critique of psychoanalytic concepts of trauma in the context of the refugee crisis.
• Exploration of socio-political narratives surrounding refugees and collective anxiety.

Main Results:

• Refugee narratives intertwine perceptions of the foreign (Islam) with notions of "trauma".
• The term "trauma" is losing theoretical grounding, becoming a projection for societal anxieties.
• This conceptual blurring negatively impacts societal and clinical relations with refugees, contributing to poor conditions.

Conclusions:

• Contemporary xenophobia and xeno-racism reflect refugees embodying the Freudian Uncanny (das Unheimliche).
• Insecurity and collective anxiety make refugees appear both alien/frightening and fascinating.
• Existing theories are insufficient to address the complex psychological and societal dynamics of the refugee crisis.