Intersectional precarity of Hazara Afghan refugee migrants in rural Australia

Abstract

This article explores the precarity of Hazara Afghan refugee migrants in a small Australian rural township to elucidate the complexity of the experiences and recognise the multiple and fluid identities of refugee migrants through the lens of intersectionality. The use of an intersectional approach allowed us to unpack precarity in refugee mobilities and better place and understand rural Australia as the social context for their resettlement experiences. Our article highlights how pathways to permanent settlement and family reunification are structured by the refugee visa regimes, which require refugees to work or study in rural areas. This structuring of refugee rural mobilities through refugee visa regimes intensifies the levels and experiences of everyday precarity, exploitation and marginalisation. This article considers how intersectionality can help us understand the complexity of the experiences and recognise multiple identities and inequalities that are dependent on the particularities associated with a rural context. The qualitative fieldwork involving semi-structured interviews with Hazara Afghan refugee migrants and community stakeholders demonstrates how different identities intersect to create disadvantages and inequalities for Hazaras, which we explore through the intersections of precarious legal status (as refugees/asylum seekers), employment, age and masculinity.