Author: Claudia Lintner
Abstract
The article reflects how new communication technologies shape the waiting- as a typical feature of time experience- of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. By linking the physical experience of time to a digital level invites us to rethink our perception of time as a linear description of events and as merely a physical experience. It allows us to understand how ICT is used by asylum seekers and undocumented migrants to overcome the physical boundaries of nation states. It broadens the understanding of how ICT overcomes not only a spatial dimension but also a temporal dimension. The article is based on a qualitative research approach. As the results show, the existence of digital possibilities is indeed empowering for people who cannot rely on formal means of coordination and information. As shown in the analysis, the temporal flexibility afforded by digital means contrasts with the rigid temporal rhythm of the asylum apparatus.
DOI: 10.13131/unipi/g649-wr61
Notes on contributor
CLAUDIA LINTNER è ricercatrice presso la Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione della Free University of Bolzano Email: Claudia.lintner2@unibz.it