A is for Asylum Seeker: Words for People on the Move / A de Asilo: Palabras Para Personas En Movimiento

A clear and concise A to Z of keywords that echo our current human rights crisis

As millions are forced to leave their nations of origin due to political, economic, and environmental peril, rising racism and xenophobia has led to increasingly harsh policies. A mass-mediated political circus obscures both histories of migration and longstanding definitions of words for people on the move, fomenting widespread linguistic confusion. Under this circus tent, there is no regard for history, legal advocacy, or jurisprudence. Yet in a world where the differences between "undocumented migrant" and "asylum seeker" can mean life or death, words have weighty consequences.

A timely antidote to this circus, A is for Asylum Seeker reframes key words that describe people on the move. Written to correct the de-meaning of terms by rhetoric and policies based on dehumanization and profitable incarceration, this glossary provides an intersectional and historically grounded consideration of the words deployed in enflamed debate. Skipping some letters of the alphabet while repeating others, thirty terms cover everything from Asylum-seeker to Zero Tolerance Policy. Each entry begins with a contemporary or historical story for illustration and then proceeds to discuss the language politics of the word. The book balances terms impacted by current political debates-such as "migrant," "refugee," and "illegal alien"-and terms that offer historical context to these controversies, such as "fugitive," "unhoused," and "vagrant."

Rendered in both English and Spanish, this book offers a unique perspective on the journeys, histories, challenges, and aspirations of people on the move. Enhancing the book's utility as an educational and organizing resource, the author provides a list of works for further reading as well as a directory of immigration advocacy organizations throughout the United States.

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Un claro y breve abecedario de palabras clave que hacen eco en nuestra crisis humanitaria presente.

Mientras millones son forzados de huir de sus naciones de origen debido a peligro poltico, econmico, y ecolgico, racismo y xenofobia han llevado a polticas ms y ms severas. Un circo poltico en los medios oculta a ambas las historias de inmigracin y las definiciones antiguas de palabras para personas en movimiento, creando confusin lingstica amplia. Bajo esta carpa de circo, no hay consideracin para historia, defensa legal, o jurisprudencia. Pero en un mundo donde las diferencias entre "migrante indocumentade" y "solicitante de asilo" pueden ser la diferencia entre vida y muerte, palabras tienen consecuencias graves.

Un antdoto oportuno a este circo, A de Asilo re-enmarca palabras claves que describen a personas en movimiento. Escrito para corregir la de-significacin de trminos por retrica y polticas basadas en deshumanizacin y encarcelacin lucrosa, este glosario provee una consideracin interseccional e histrica de las palabras usadas en debate inflamado. Brincando a unas letras del alfabeto mientras repite a otras, treinta trminos cubren todo desde Asilo a Tolerancia Cero. Cada artculo empieza con una historia contempornea u histrica para ilustrar, y despus discute la poltica alrededor de la palabra. El libro balancea trminos impactados por debates polticos contemporneos-como "migrante," "refugiado" y "extranjero ilegal"-y trminos que ofrecen contexto histrico a estas controversias, como "fugitivo" "sin casa" y "vagante."

Escrito en ingls y espaol, este libro ofrece una perspectiva nica en las jornadas, historias, retos, y aspiraciones de personas en movimiento. Aumentando la utilidad del libro como un recurso educacional y organizacional, la autora provee una lista de obras para ms lectura, igual que un directorio de organizaciones de defensa de inmigrantes a travs de los Estados Unidos.