The Humanitarian Hangover: Transnationalization of Governmental Practice in Tanzania's Refugee-Populated Areas

In: Refugee survey quarterly: reports, documentation, literature survey, Band 21, Heft 1-2, S. 260-299

Abstract

Changes in Tanzanian governance due to the massive influx of Burundian & Congolese refugees & the resulting international assistance in the remote region of western Tanzania has changed the relationships between citizens & the territory & the government, but in counter-intuitive ways. With over 100,000 outsiders arriving in the Kasulu District & millions of dollars of humanitarian aid following for their support, the area would have many opportunities to reconfigure governmental practice. The author used refugee & humanitarian studies to draw conclusions. It was found the existing practices shaped government functioning during these massive changes. Rather than participating in increased nation-building, residents have relied on both inter- & nongovernmental structures from the international arena. Even with this turn away from the state, Tanzanian virtue & identity have been reified. 54 References. L. A. Hoffman