Mismanagement and misinterpretations in asylum interviews: Perspectives from South Africa and Sweden

Abstract This article explores the interactions between key actors in asylum interviews in South Africa and Sweden. It is based on forty-one interviews with asylum seekers, interpreters, state officials, and legal representatives. The analysis is guided by theories on professional encounters, bureau...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of refugee studies 2024, Vol.37 (3), p.785-799
Main Authors: Ottosson, Lisa, Angu, Pineteh, Gustafsson, Kristina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
asylum interview
asylum interviews
asylum seeker
bureaucratic violence
Ethnology
Etnologi
interdependence
interpreter
legal representative
management
public service interpreting
Social Work
Socialt arbete
South Africa
state official
Sweden
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Summary:Abstract This article explores the interactions between key actors in asylum interviews in South Africa and Sweden. It is based on forty-one interviews with asylum seekers, interpreters, state officials, and legal representatives. The analysis is guided by theories on professional encounters, bureaucratic violence, and interdependence. The result is presented in two themes: the emergence of mismanagement due to repressive policies and cost-cutting measures, and misinterpretation due to poor interpretation services and failure to recognize the hermeneutic aspects of asylum seekers’ claims. These issues lead to mistrust in the asylum system and in each other’s capacities, as key actors fail to take joint responsibility for the interview act and its outcome. The conclusion is that all key actors operate within a destructive process of mistrust, reinforced by an increasingly repressive political framework as its strongest driving force.
ISSN:0951-6328
1471-6925
1471-6925
DOI:10.1093/jrs/feae054