Moral and political theorists have paid a healthy amount of attention to states’ rights to determine who may reside within their territory. Accordingly, there’s a large literature on immigration, borders, asylum, and refugees. However, relatively little work has been done on questions concerning how refugees are treated once they have gained access to a new country, and from these questions emerge additional issues concerning the
repatriation of refugees. As it turns out, there are several global organizations involved in efforts to make repatriation accessible to refugees. However, it is frequently the case that repatriation is dangerous and risky; often the refugees’ desire to repatriate is arguably non-voluntary. Distinctive moral concerns quickly come into view.
In
The Ethics and Practice of Refugee Repatriation (Edinburgh University Press, 2018),
Mollie Gerver systematically addresses these distinctive moral questions. Combining philosophical analysis with testimonial data from extensive field work with refugees, she makes concrete policy recommendations for navigating this fraught moral landscape.