I found Ticktin’s piece about innocence especially expressive. She touches on many of the complexities we’ve discussed in class about the way migrants and refugees are seen and portrayed by the masses. She mentions vulnerability as a part of innocence which reminded me of our discussions on portraying vulnerability as a means of “deserving” asylum or refugee status. What tactics must one employ to seem vulnerable? What details ought to be shared, and what ones should be left out? What ways should one paint the experiences that inevitably pushed them out of their homes? Ticktin hints at these internal conflicts through her article. She also touches on a different aspect of innocence and vulnerability we have not discussed as thoroughly: that of power. The connotations of innocence and vulnerability go far beyond their entry into and status in a nation. Once innocence or vulnerability is achieved, what implications does this image carry over into their experiences as a person beyond their refugee status? Essentially, this image leads to a further deepening of the hierarchy that remains between those receiving entry and services, and those giving the entry and services. This hierarchy is present in humanitarian aid and development and often deals with western ethnocentrism ignoring culturally relative significance in societies. Additionally, this ethnocentrism further divides nations, prompting the “us” vs. the “other” mentality.

Innocence structures our relationships to make some of us saviors and others victims. The process of saving innocent victims often promises absolution to the saviors. It leaves little room to think that we might also be responsible for these migrants’ plight (by helping to create the conditions that they are fleeing, from war and poverty to climate change). It leaves little room to see that we might actually owethem hospitality and welcome.

This quote felt extremely articulate and relevant of the migrant struggle. It expressed the root of a lot of the issues migrants face, and the reasons they are pushed out of their communities and homes. Framing anything in a single frame dangerous and Ticktin’s piece grapples with the effects “innocence”, its related and contrasting sentiments have on migrants and refugees.