Search

The article focuses on the turmoil within the Eritrean diaspora during the 2023 festival season, highlighted by widespread social media activism on platforms like TikTok. It explores themes of dissent against the Eritrean government among young refugees, depicting protests, clashes with authorities, and the mobilization of global Eritrean communities through digital channels. The movement, led by groups like Birgade Nhamedu, challenges authoritarian rule.

Scholarly conversations on immigration and racial classifications suggest that how migrants get racially classified by host societies reflects historical, socio-cultural, demographic and political peculiarities of the receiving countries. How migrants are racially categorized, for example, differs between the US, South Africa and Brazil. This paper builds these theoretical and empirical debates and conversations by making comparisons on how I am racially perceived in South Africa as ‘Coloured’ and how I would be racially classified in the US context as ‘Black’. The ideology one-drop rule classifies all Eritreans (including myself), Ethiopians and Somalis, in the US under the broad racial rubric ‘Black’ despite variations in phenotypic appearance. In South Africa, due to my curly hair texture, facial features and fair skin tone, I am usually socially perceived as ‘Coloured’, a category absent in the US, due to the absence of the principle of one drop rule. Drawing on secondary literature, my own experiences with racialization and the experiences of migrants in the US, I develop an analytical concept of ‘regionalizing race’, which I hope scholars of migration and racialization will adopt in analyzing and interpreting how migrants are differentially racially classified in different national contexts.

The principles of inclusive education largely accepted by governments of different countries require differentiated classroom instruction to meet the diverse needs of individual students. Despite this, teachers have differing experiences and understandings about implementing differentiated instruction (DI) and heterogeneous classrooms. This narrative study aimed at exploring the meanings of DI in the Eritrean context, where teachers are not explicitly familiar with the concept, although their teaching practices reflect some level of differentiation. The research data consisted of 17 narrative interviews with Eritrean mathematics and science teachers. The results of the narrative analysis showed that the teachers constructed five meanings of DI in their narratives: as a caring orientation, as a flexible pedagogic approach, as a self-reflective process, as a failed attempt and as a demanding approach. The majority of the narratives were found to produce positive meanings of DI, and the teachers constructed strong agency towards carrying out DI. These examples of sophisticated DI practices in the teachers' positive narratives could be utilised to implement DI, even in situations where teachers have limited resources and training and in contexts with large class sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unsigned homage to August Dillmann on the occasion of his 100th birthday was recently found in a copy of Dillmann's Lexicon linguae aethiopicae, after the 200th anniversary of his birthday. The text was presumably composed by Bruno Violet, who was Dillmann's student and the previous owner of the copy of the Lexicon in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the standard reference works for Ethiopian and Eritrean studies, one finds a Homily on Holy Easter (CAe 1265) attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus and identified as one of his Orations (CPG 3010). Both the attribution and identification are, however, incorrect. Rather, this Homily on Holy Easter, which is actually attributed to an otherwise unknown John Theologos in the earliest recoverable layer of the Ethiopic tradition, is to be identified as an Ethiopic version of a homily, recorded as CPG 4163.2, attested in two Arabic manuscripts, one where it is attributed to Ephrem and the other where it is anonymous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growth of a cult for the Armenian martyr Hripsime in Ethiopia during the Middle Ages, no malkəʾ-hymn dedicated to her can be found in manuscripts predating the eighteenth century. There are two extant witnesses, one from the early eighteenth century and one from the nineteenth or twentieth century, to a Malkəʾa ʾArsimā containing seventeen stanzas. Evidently this hymn is the one named in a list of titles of malkəʾ-hymns extant in four manuscripts, two of which indicate that the hymn should have seventeen stanzas. While shorter than most, the hymn skilfully incorporates allusions to biblical stories, including Esther and Judith, paraphrases of and references to verses from the Old and New Testaments, and references to the flight to Egypt and Mount Koskam. While the text seemingly fell out of use, there being no later manuscript witnesses or printed editions of it, a different, longer malkəʾ-hymn was at some point composed and is now widespread in printed collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thus far, very little is known of the social origin and position of scribes and calligraphers in the premodern Islamic world. The difficulty in finding data on the biographies and activities of the professional practitioners of calligraphy in historiographical works is probably one of the main causes of this regrettable situation. Taking as a starting point the results of some previous groundbreaking research, the present article gathers scattered information retrieved from different sources about two calligraphers from the Horn of Africa that lived and worked in the Middle East during the Mamlūk period. In the analysis of these two cases, it is hoped that some light will be shed on the presence of calligraphic masters from the Horn in the Arab world from which may be gained, on a more general level, a better picture of the personalities of calligraphers in the Islamic world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between Ethiopia and Prester John, the mythical ruler from the East searched for by the Latin Christians of Europe since the twelfth century, is long established in scholarship for the period between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. This relationship, however, appears one sided in the surviving source corpus with no reference to Prester John found in any Gəʿəz texts. Indeed, the Ethiopian monks at the Council of Florence in 1441 were recorded as actively rejecting such an association between this Prester John and their ruler to the Latin Christians. The absence of Gəʿəz sources aside, this article presents an edition and translation of four letters written in Arabic by the Ethiopian ambassador to Lisbon between 1509 and 1520, Mateus, to Dom Manuel, King of Portugal, which present him as the anbašadūr Brist Ǧuwān and pose further questions for this discussion. The letters provide examples of a counter narrative to the outright dismissal of the myth by the monks at Florence. With only one known clear proponent of each stance, and in different centuries, the discussion concerning Ethiopia's rejection of the Prester John myth may require more nuance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the rise to power of the Christian Solomonic dynasty (1270-1974) in Ethiopia, Christian rule expanded to encompass the regions inhabited by the Betä Ǝsraʾel (Ethiopian Jews). This process was accompanied by military campaigns (fourteenth-seventeenth century), during which the Betä Ǝsraʾel gradually lost their political autonomy. The Betä Ǝsraʾel oral tradition remembers the campaign waged by the Solomonic monarch Yəsḥaq against them as the most decisive in their history--because of it, their political power was greatly reduced, and their continued existence was jeopardized. This campaign is also commemorated in Solomonic texts, and both Christian and Betä Ǝsraʾel holy sites are associated with it. This article will examine the ways in which this campaign and its aftermath are depicted by the two respective communities and reflected their religious sites and in landmarks in Wägära and the Səmen Mountains. Based on the sources at hand, it will attempt to trace the geographical aspects of the campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alexander Romance is vague about Alexander's passage from India to the realm of Candace of Meroë, but seems to suggest it is accomplished swiftly and easily. The earliest versions of the Romance, moreover, indicate there were close relations between Candace's kingdom and India, even that her ancestors once held power over India. If Candace's realm is identified as Ethiopia, this is a perplexing state of affairs. But it seems to have taken on a plausibility with the rise of the kingdom of Aksum. In the De Vita Bragmanorum Palladius depicts Aksum as a province of a vast empire centred on Sri Lanka. But it is John Malalas, in his universal chronicle, who modifies the story of Alexander and Candace to explicitly locate it in Aksum, or the land of the 'Inner Indians', as distinct from both India and Ethiopia. This modification not only made sense of several details in the Alexander Romance, but was also consistent with shifting attitudes toward Ethiopians and Aksumites in Late Antiquity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An altar block found not far from Ǝntǝčč̣ ọ bears an Ethio-Sabaean inscription which documents the dedication of the altar to the goddess ḏāt Ḥamēn by a female. This new find is of particular historical significance as it gives the name of a previously unattested king, who can be assigned genealogically to one of the known lines of rulers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inscription stone was found by peasants in a site at Śǝ̣ rḥan in the Aḥfärom wäräda of the Tǝgray region. The author examined the site and carried out an archaeological outline of it for the Tǝgray Culture and Tourism Bureau. The original condition of the inscription, however, had been affected by the peasants' handling of the stone, which in the same time offers an instructive insight into local traditions. Furthermore, the high resolution photography taken of the inscription has been lost due to looting during the recent war. However, lower resolution photography has survived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eritreans have experienced protracted conflict and displacement over the last half a century. Aside from marginalisation, immobilisation, highly constrained livelihood options and legal limbo, this has also created a complex and dynamic web of transnational networks of Eritrean refugees and diasporas around the world. In this paper, we argue that protractedly displaced people are not only entangled with forced immobility but also encounter opportunities to create new migration pathways. This ethnographic study shows how protractedly displaced people build up socio-spatial connections and sequential small-scale mobility, circumventing the multiple constraints the governance regimes have placed upon them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex intersection of migration and masculinity is a growing field of study. This research explores how married Eritrean refugee men in Israel negotiated masculinity-related challenges within the context of gender relations. A constructivist notion of masculinity informed an interpretive analysis of in-depths interviews with the Eritrean men. It depicted the men's experiences of a loss of power within gender relations as a "crisis" of masculinity. We explore the intersecting contexts of migration, gender, and culture surrounding these masculinity experiences, as well as the impact of state power that is enacted upon the men via their legal status of "permanent temporariness" and in gendered encounters with state authorities. Finally, we describe and discuss three main strategies the men employed to negotiate masculinity in their relationships with women within these complex circumstances: ruling, migration as an opportunity, and temporary acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening the identities of teacher educators is critical to quality teacher education and implementing change in the education sector. This study examines the professional identities of Eritrean teacher educators and how these identities can be strengthened through collaborative professional practice in a challenging context currently under reform. The focus is on the professional capacity building activities at the College of Education in Eritrea, which were implemented in collaboration with Finnish education partners. The paper reports on findings from an action-research informed study of a semester-long series of professional development seminars and an interview study with individual teacher educators. The qualitative content analyses of seminar participants' drawings, evaluations and interview data focus on: 1) identifying critical issues that support the formation of teacher educator identities, and 2) understanding how collaborative practice at the institutional level can support the strengthening of professional identities. The findings point to potential ways of creating critical colleagueship and more purposeful, contextually relevant approaches for professional development in teacher education. The need for strengthening the identities of teacher educators' through bottom-up processes and in collaboration with international partners is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

book review

Abstract Background In the Netherlands, migrant populations with a high tuberculosis (TB) incidence are an important target group for TB prevention. However, there is a lack of insight in effective community-engaged strategies to reach and motivate these migrants to participate in latent TB infection (LTBI) screening and treatment programs. Methods In cocreation with Eritrean key figures and TB staff, we designed and executed six strategies to reach and motivate Eritrean communities to participate in LTBI programs, in five regions in the Netherlands. We registered participation in LTBI education and screening, and LTBI treatment uptake and completion. We used semi-structured group and individual interviews with Eritrean participants, key figures, and TB staff to identify facilitators and barriers. Results Uptake of LTBI education (13–75%) and consequent screening (10–124%) varied between strategies. LTBI screening uptake > 100% resulted from educated participants motivating others to participate in screening. Two strategies, using face-to-face promotion and targeting smaller groups, were the most successful. The program resulted in high LTBI treatment initiation and completion (both 97%). Reported program barriers included: competing priorities in the target group, perceived good health, poor risk perception, and scepticism towards the program purpose. TB staff perceived the program as useful but demanding in terms of human resources. Conclusions Eritrean migrant communities can be successfully reached and motivated for LTBI screening and treatment programs, when sufficient (human) resources are in place and community members, well-connected to and trusted by the community, are engaged in the design and execution of the program.

This study presents an overview of documentaries on Eritrea and Eritreans made for an Italian audience between 1951 and 2015. During the immediate post-war years, Italian filmmakers visually constructed the ex-colonised as 'nostalgic others' whose representations aimed to repossess the past. Later, between 1960-2000, there is an utter institutional silence about colonialism that is reflected by the almost non-existent production of related documentaries. The few works from this period offer crucial insights on Italy's colonial legacy, but also replicate some discourses of the 1950s films. Since the year 2000, instead, the production of Italian documentaries portraying Eritrea and Eritreans has increased remarkably, mostly thanks to private initiatives. Made from the viewpoint of Eritreans, contemporary films undermine the imagination constructed during the 1950s. They offer a counterargument that destabilises the previous enduring colonial visual imaginaries mainly by discussing integration and issues related to second generations and citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the experiences of Nigerian and Eritrean migrants on their journeys from their origin country to prior to disembarkation across the Mediterranean Sea in Libya. This paper builds on the work of Vigh (2006. "Social Death and Violent Life Chances." In Navigation Youth, Generating Adulthood: Social Becoming in and African Context, edited by Catrine Christiansen, Mats Utas, and Henrik Vigh. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet; 2009. "Motion Squared: A Second Look at the Concept of Social Navigation." Anthropological Theory 9 (4): 419–438) in the social navigation approach by applying it to migration journeys and illustrating how migrants display their agency within their navigation, while simultaneously reflecting on the oppression and constrained choices that they experience in their journeys. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork with 69 respondents in Italy in 2017, this paper examines how Eritrean and Nigerian migrants experience their journeys and navigate through complex environments. The results illustrate the differences in expectations, experiences, and transnational connections of the two cases. This article contributes to the literature on migrant's agency and social navigation of their journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More recently there is a growing research on passing tactics employed by Southern African migrants in the context of xenophobia in post-apartheid South Africa; however, little is known about what tactics non-Southern African migrants from other African countries utilize to make themselves invisible in the face of anti-foreigner attitudes in post-apartheid South Africa. I address this research void by reporting on the ways in which three Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in Durban, South Africa attempted to pass as Black South Africans during xenophobic violence of 2015. The three Eritreans attempted to enact three different tactics of passing to avoid being marked as a 'foreigner': (1) racial passing by modifying the body; (2) linguistic passing by speaking the local language; and (3) remaining silent to avoid detection. The results of this study form part of a larger project that examined racial/ethnic self-identification patterns of Eritreans in South Africa. Drawing on participants' accounts, I argue that non-Southern African foreigners in South Africa are not simply passive victims of xenophobic violence but creative and agential social actors who perform a multiplicity of tactics to avoid being victims of xenophobia during their random social encounters with South African citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experience of Eritrean refugee parents in Denmark. The study addresses the journey of refugee parents from Eritrea to Denmark, where the existential threats that prompted their original migration as refugees have been replaced by challenges which among others relate to parenting. There is limited research addressing the parenting experiences of Eritrean families in Denmark. THEORETICAL BASE: The overall theoretical framework for the study is grounded in a phenomenological perspective and uses a narrative model to address the research question. The information contained in the narratives of lived experience aims to help understand how Eritrean parents have made meaning of their lived experiences, relating these to past, present and future perceptions. METHODS: The study uses co-creation with representatives from the Eritrean Community as central to the qualitative research methodology. OUTCOMES: The themes emerging from the study related to the loss to their children of the Eritrean religion and language. Multiple subthemes emerged in the study, adding to the mosaic of positive life-experiences for Eritrean parents settling in Denmark. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: The study will potentially inform social work practice supporting the positive integration of Eritrean families in Denmark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of academic debate about race in South Africa has focused on South African citizens. An overlooked phenomenon in the field is how non-South African, such as refugees, experience racial ascription by South Africans in everyday life. I address this knowledge gap by reflecting on my own everyday experiences of racial assignation, as an Eritrean refugee who originates from a society whose other and self-identification habits are based on non-racial cultural and ethnic distinctions. I employ an auto-ethnographic qualitative approach to reflect on my lived experiences of racial ascription. This personal narrative forms part of a larger project that examined experiences of racial ascription of 46 Eritreans refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa. In my day-to-day contact with South Africans, I am racialised as Black, as Coloured and as Indian in random encounters. Drawing on my everyday lived experiences, I argue that in South Africa, racial ascription in everyday life tends to be inconsistent, and racial self-identification may also be contextual and fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the Netherlands, migrant populations with a high tuberculosis (TB) incidence are an important target group for TB prevention. However, there is a lack of insight in effective community-engaged strategies to reach and motivate these migrants to participate in latent TB infection (LTBI) screening and treatment programs.Methods: In cocreation with Eritrean key figures and TB staff, we designed and executed six strategies to reach and motivate Eritrean communities to participate in LTBI programs, in five regions in the Netherlands. We registered participation in LTBI education and screening, and LTBI treatment uptake and completion. We used semi-structured group and individual interviews with Eritrean participants, key figures, and TB staff to identify facilitators and barriers.Results: Uptake of LTBI education (13-75%) and consequent screening (10-124%) varied between strategies. LTBI screening uptake > 100% resulted from educated participants motivating others to participate in screening. Two strategies, using face-to-face promotion and targeting smaller groups, were the most successful. The program resulted in high LTBI treatment initiation and completion (both 97%). Reported program barriers included: competing priorities in the target group, perceived good health, poor risk perception, and scepticism towards the program purpose. TB staff perceived the program as useful but demanding in terms of human resources.Conclusions: Eritrean migrant communities can be successfully reached and motivated for LTBI screening and treatment programs, when sufficient (human) resources are in place and community members, well-connected to and trusted by the community, are engaged in the design and execution of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of 2010s, the movement of unaccompanied minors from Eritrea has significantly increased and has become the object of international concern. This migration is often explained by media and humanitarian actors as the mechanical reaction to recent conscription campaigns by the Eritrean government. However, these explanations fail to consider that young people's mobilities emerge from a context of protracted crisis. Building on the literature on chronicity and crisis in the African context, this article examines what it means to be young in Eritrea and how it relates to the motivations for and the dynamics of youth migration from the country. Drawing from a multi-sited ethnography in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan, the article points to the active role of young migrants – even minors – escaping from contexts of protracted crisis. While analysing the structural constraints faced by Eritrean girls and boys, I first show how migration in this context is often seen as a crucial step to reaching adulthood that has significant gender differences. Then, I explore the interactions between family expectations and individual agency by analysing my informants' mobility patterns outside Eritrea and in secondary movements towards Europe. While most available literature tends to portray young migrants' trajectories as the result of structural circumstances or family projects, I illustrate how many of my informants often undertook their journeys without family consensus to pursue personal aspirations as well as communal values regarding moral worthiness and family well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about racial identity claims of African migrants living in Israel who originate from countries where race is not a dominant identity marker. This article examines how Eritrean migrants, coming from a country where race-based social organisation is not prevalent, strategically adopted 'Black' as their identity marker in Israel. Online newspaper reports and conversational interviews with four Eritrean migrants were used as sources of data. During various anti-deportation protests, Eritrean migrants held signs with slogans referring to themselves as Black. Some of the slogans include: 'Do Black lives matter in Israel?', 'Black or White I am human', 'Deported to death because I am Black', and 'Now I am White, will you deport me?' I argue that for first generation Eritrean migrants in Israel, Black racial identity was adopted strategically as a political identity of social mobilisation and resistance in the face of a racialised and exclusionary migration policy. Résumé: On sait peu de choses sur les revendications d' identité raciale des migrants africains qui résident en Israël et originaires de pays où la race n' est pas un marqueur d' identité dominant. Cet article examine la manière dont les migrants érythréens, venus d' un pays où les identités raciales ne sont pas prévalentes, ont stratégiquement adopté le terme " Noir " comme marqueur identitaire en Israël. Des articles de journaux en ligne et des entretiens conversationnels réalisés par appel vidéo WhatsApp avec quatre migrants érythréens ont été utilisés comme sources de données. Lors de diverses manifestations contre l' expulsion, les migrants érythréens ont brandi des pancartes avec des slogans faisant référence à leur identité noire. Voici quelques-uns de ces slogans : " Do Black lives matter in Israel? ", " Black or White I am human ", " Deported to death because I am Black ", et " Now I am White, will you deport me? ". Je soutiens que pour les migrants érythréens de première génération en Israël, l' identité raciale noire a été adoptée stratégiquement en tant qu' identité politique de mobilisation sociale et de résistance face à une politique migratoire racialisée et excluante. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes Eritrean refugee women's utilization of antenatal services in Israel by means of retrospective self‐reports surveys (N = 63) targeting women's service utilization (array of services used, frequency rates, facility rates and demographic correlates) and semi‐structured interviews (N = 10) targeting women's experienced barriers for service utilization. Findings show that Eritrean women make substantive use of the full array of services, with user rates increasing over time. However, frequency rates are low, although increasing when women have more experience with the system. Facility rates are not in keeping with the recommendations of the Israeli Ministry of Health. Interviews reveal that the barriers of work and a complex system of antenatal care limit women's frequent service utilization in the right facility, while the barrier of miscommunication limits their understanding of the services they actually utilized. Findings stress the importance of analyzing different facets of utilization and their demographic correlates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the challenges of Eritrean refugees attending their tertiary education in selected private medical colleges in Ethiopia, and the support schemes available to help them cope with their problems. The research involves a sample of 40 randomly selected refugee students and uses focus group discussion and interview as principal methods of data collection. The findings reveal that Eritrean refugee students in Ethiopia face a variety of challenges identified as academic, linguistic, emotional/psychological and sociocultural. Although there are some forms of support offered at governmental level, the institutional level of support is found to be deficient in many respects. Hence, further improvements in facilitating refugee higher education in Ethiopia are posited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of food to exert power over asylum seekers (biopower), and it mentions the nutritional and socio-cultural values of food, restrictions on asylum seeker entrepreneurs who establish food places, and the role of food in the lives of migrants. Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers in Israel are addressed, along with a detention center on the Israeli-Egyptian border and Israel's Deposit Law which an employer's obligation to offset a worker's wages.

This article revisits ambivalence as a protracted state which does not simply develop as a result of the migration experience but stems from overlapping levels of normative inconsistency. Drawing from my ethnography of Eritreans' everyday life in the homeland and abroad, I analyse their attitudes of patriotism and disenchantment through an ambivalence lens. Their ambiguous attitudes are arising from national and transnational Eritrean state policies and are further complicated by their role as "political refugees" in host countries. My informants' ambivalence stems from them embodying more than one role (i.e. patriots, family breadwinners, refugees from and citizens of their homeland), from contradictory expectations pertaining to the same role (i.e. young citizens in Eritrea) and from clashing implications of being members of two different social systems (i.e. the destination country and the country of origin). Thus, Eritreans' political loyalties and actions are characterised by a state of ambivalence throughout their migration process. Despite its peculiar characteristics, this case study sheds light on the complexity of ambivalence, as more than a temporary condition, for migrants and refugees in particular. In the current scenario of emigrant states' transnational governance, protracted ambivalence is likely to mark the attitudes of an increasing number of people on the move as both refugees from and citizens of their country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the experiences of newly arrived and settled Eritrean immigrants currently in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with ten newly arrived (seven years) participants, recruited through an Eritrean café and using snowball sampling. Thematic analysis identified three themes: (1) Wanting freedom, expectations of the UK and the desire for safety, (2) Integration and becoming part of the British community, (3) Personal development, which involved growth and aspirations. Transcending these themes was the notion of balance, and the co-existence of past and present. It is argued that Eritreans in the UK wish to become part of British community whilst at the same time remembering and celebrating their Eritrean culture. This is explained within the context of a dual identity and it is argued that rather than being a hindrance, a dual rather than single identity facilitates the process of integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the outcomes of the first medical interpreter vocational training course for Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel. Our study draws on the work of Phyllis Butow et al. on medical interpreters’ perceptions of their role, including the challenges they face; on Elena Ragazzi’s call for a flexible evaluation of vocational training outcomes; and on Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of “cultural capital” as an empowering tool for change. The course was initiated in 2013 in response to difficulties experienced by medical personnel and Eritrean asylum seekers regarding the provision of health services for refugees. The outcomes of the course led to four main conclusions: (1) it was a positive learning endeavor that led graduates to better jobs; (2) it was an empowering experience that enabled graduates to better care for themselves and their loved ones, and enhanced their understanding of their rights as asylum seekers; (3) it was perceived as a project of inclusion that created a safe and reassuring environment within the otherwise hostile reality of state-orchestrated exclusion, yet it also induced a sense of frustration in that it had no impact on the unjust social structure in which the asylum seekers live; and (4) the course was helpful in developing the graduates’ understanding of their complex role as medical interpreters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the professional boundaries and obstacles encountered by Eritrean graduates of a medical interpreter course in Israel. Through a series of personal interviews held about a year after their graduation, we identified professional and personal boundaries as a recurring theme. Drawing on the inspiring work of Erving Goffman, we discuss the tension between their “normative roles” and “typical roles.” By deploying two heuristic two-way typologies—in reference to the service provider or the patient, and in reference to formal or informal interpreting settings—we propose that the tension between the normative and the typical manifests most clearly within formal interpreting settings and vis-à-vis the service providers, and is least present outside formal settings and vis-à-vis the patients. Recognizing that the role of the interpreter tends to extend well beyond its formal setting, we conclude by reflecting on how the circumstances of marginalization and lack of support—incurred by the Israeli government’s intention to frustrate asylum seekers and thwart their struggle for recognition as refugees—compels the graduates to extend their services and serve as brokers, counsellors and guides in trying to help their compatriots navigate the ostensibly inhospitable system they confront. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]