Dislocated Identity and the Fragmented Body: Discourses of Resistance among Southern Sudanese Refugees in Cairo

Themes of social and cultural breakdown permeate the narratives of southern Sudanese refugees in Cairo, as they wait for their fate to be decided by factors outside their control. This ‘fragmentation’ of the self is expressed most vividly in pervasive legends and rumours about the perceived threat to the integrity of the Sudanese body posed by medical professionals. This paper will explore the embodiment of cultural identity threats by examining rumours and metaphors about the experience of illness and medical treatment. Interactions with health providers represent ‘points of entry’ to refugees by the host community. Identity threats are embodied through the types of symptoms that are brought to the attention of medical professionals, and also through the informal talk surrounding these encounters. As they are probed and treated, the refugee bodies become objectified through a medical gaze that symbolizes the loss of cultural, social and physical wholeness that underscores the refugee experience.