At the start of the 1990s, there was great optimism that the end of the Cold War might also mean the end of the "refugee cycle" - both a breaking of the cycle of violence, persecution and flight, and the completion of the cycle for those able to return to their homes. The 1990s, it was hoped, would become the "decade of repatriation." However, although over nine million refugees were repatriated worldwide between 1991 and 1995, there are reasons to believe that it will not necessarily be a durable solution for refugees. It certainly has become clear that "the end of the refugee cycle" has been much more complex, and ultimately more elusive, than expected. The changing constructions and realities of refugee repatriation provide the backdrop for this book which presents new empirical research on examples of refugee repatriation and reconstruction. Apart from providing up-to-date material, it also fills a more fundamental gap in the literature which has tended to be based on pedagogical reasoning rather than actual field research. Adopting a global perspective, this volume draws together conclusions from highly varied experiences of refugee repatriation and defines repatriation and reconstruction as part of a wider and interrelated refugee cycle of displacement, exile and return. The contributions come from authors with a wealth of relevant practical and academic experience, spanning the continents of Africa, Asia, Central America, and Europe.

At the start of the 1990s, there was great optimism that the end of the Cold War might also mean the end of the "refugee cycle" - both a breaking of the cycle of violence, persecution and flight, and the completion of the cycle for those able to return to their homes. The 1990s, it was hoped, would become the "decade of repatriation." However, although over nine million refugees were repatriated worldwide between 1991 and 1995, there are reasons to believe that it will not necessarily be a durable solution for refugees. It certainly has become clear that "the end of the refugee cycle" has been much more complex, and ultimately more elusive, than expected. The changing constructions and realities of refugee repatriation provide the backdrop for this book which presents new empirical research on examples of refugee repatriation and reconstruction. Apart from providing up-to-date material, it also fills a more fundamental gap in the literature which has tended to be based on pedagogical reasoning rather than actual field research. Adopting a global perspective, this volume draws together conclusions from highly varied experiences of refugee repatriation and defines repatriation and reconstruction as part of a wider and interrelated refugee cycle of displacement, exile and return. The contributions come from authors with a wealth of relevant practical and academic experience, spanning the continents of Africa, Asia, Central America, and Europe.

List of Tables
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations

PART I: REFUGEE REPATRIATION AND RECONSTRUCTION

Chapter 1. The End of the Refugee Cycle?
Khalid Koser and Richard Black

Chapter 2. Researching Repatriation and Reconstruction: Who is Researching What and Why?
Rosemary Preston

PART II: MASS REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES

Chapter 3. Revisiting a ‘Repatriation Success’: The Case of Cambodia
Marita Eastmond and Joakim Öjendal

Chapter 4. Repatriation and Reconstruction: The Case Of Afghanistan
Peter Marsden

Chapter 5. Contradictions and Control in Repatriation: Negotiations for the Return of 500,000 Eritrean Refugees
Lucia Ann McSpadden

Chapter 6. Repatriation from South Africa to Mozambique – Undermining Durable Solutions?
Chris Dolan

PART III: THE COMPLEXITY OF REPATRIATION

Chapter 7. Repatriation from the European Union to Bosnia-Herzegovina: the Role of Information
Martha Walsh, Richard Black and Khalid Koser

Chapter 8. The Point of No Return: The Politics of the Swiss Tamil Repatriation Agreement
Christopher McDowell

Chapter 9. The ‘Self’ in Self-Repatriation: Closing Down Mugunga Camp, Eastern Zaire
Johan Pottier

Chapter 10. From ‘Refugee’ to ‘Repatriate’: Russian Repatriation Discourse in the Making
Hiliary Pilkington and Moya Flynn

PART IV: FROM REPATRIATION TO RECONSTRUCTION?

Chapter 11. Why Angolan Soldiers Worry about Demobilisation and Reintegration
Art Hansen and David Tavares

Chapter 12. Repatriation and Everyday Forms of State Formation in Guatemala
Finn Stepputat

Chapter 13. Examining the Discourse of Repatriation: Towards a More Proactive Theory of Return Migration
Laura Hammond

Notes on Contributors
Bibliography
Index