Agency in Action: Mobilisation Efforts of South Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia

The article contributes to the discourse on refugee agency by examining the dual role of formal and informal structures in refugee camps and how these structures both constrain and facilitate collective mobilisation. It also examines refugees’ mobilisation processes for collective action and the role of social spaces of mobilisation. Drawing on extensive field research from 2014 to 2023 in different camps in the Gambella region, the main findings of this article show that camp structures play both a constraining and facilitating role in the mobilisation of refugees for collective action. While refugees find themselves in formal structures that promote discipline and control, they often turn to informal leaders and social networks to organise, demand better services, and sometimes resist decisions made by camp authorities. The study also underlines the importance of both spaces and networks for social mobilisation. However, it also shows that these social spaces, more particularly communal spaces of mobilisation, are often dominated by men and majority groups, marginalising the voices and concerns of minorities. Building on contemporary research on agency, this study offers insights into the complex relationship between refugee mobilisation, community-based structures, and social spaces.

doi: 10.1093/rsq/hdaf013