How many times can refugees lose home? And how does this influence their aspirations and capabilities to make a new home? A new article by Milena Belloni and Aurora Massa in the Journal of Refugee Studies, based on their fieldwork into the housing pathways of Eritrean refugees in Europe, analyses protracted displacement through the lens of home.

AbstractThis article introduces the notion of ‘accumulated homelessness’ to account for the repeated loss and lack of home experienced by many migrants in Europe today. Through the lens of home and homelessness, we argue that the debate on protracted displacement—often applied only to developing countries—should be extended to Europe. Going beyond the idea of shelterlessness, we consider homelessness as a multidimensional and multiscalar condition which encompasses material and emotional aspects. By analysing two life histories of Eritrean men living in Italy and in the Netherlands, we examine the set of structural, social, and individual conditions leading them to lose home in different places and times as well as their attempts—such as finding accommodation, establishing a community organisation, or moving onwards—to reconstruct home. 
Quote as: Milena Belloni, Aurora Massa, Accumulated Homelessness: Analysing Protracted Displacement along Eritreans’ Life Histories, Journal of Refugee Studies, 2021, feab035, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feab035