Caught Between Borders: Response Strategies of the Internally Displaced

Internally displaced persons are those who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of war, natural or man-made disaster, or generalized violence, and who do not cross an internationally recognized border. This work covers methods that people have evolved for coping in such situations. Very little is known about how people respond to the experience of displacement. In economic terms, the presence of the internally displaced is obvious - as they open small restaurants and bars, or as they sell handicrafts at markets in order to make a little money. What are less obvious are the informal protection mechanisms that enable people to cope with the experience of displacement - the information networks that warn them of impending danger, or inform the displaced of events occurring in their home villages while they are absent.