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Agency and vulnerability in the field of immigration law : a linguistic-ethnographic perspective on lawyer-client interaction

Marie Jacobs (UGent) and Katrijn Maryns (UGent)
(2022) JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY. 49(3). p.542-566
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Abstract
Migrants are often perceived as a group of vulnerable victims, especially within a legal context such as the one in this study: lawyer-client consultations in the field of immigration law. The literature describes how institutional limitations often translate into asymmetric lawyer-client dynamics. The linguistic-ethnographic data gathered for this study shows, however, that the reality is more complex. In operationalizing the concept of agency, this study focuses on the dynamic-relational nature of power differences, which implies a move away from the binary conceptualization of structure and agency. The ethnographic lens helps to unpack agency and reveals a picture of strategic behaviour that is contextually embedded and multi-layered. In this light, the performance of agency and vulnerability is shown to be (1) interactionally achieved, (2) indicative of an awareness of macro-level processes, and (3) reflective of the philosophy behind the authorities' migration management.
Keywords
MIGRANT AGENCY, ASYLUM, NARRATIVES, MIGRATION, CARE, LANGUAGE, POLITICS, SEARCH, RIGHTS, POWER

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Citation

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MLA
Jacobs, Marie, and Katrijn Maryns. “Agency and Vulnerability in the Field of Immigration Law : A Linguistic-Ethnographic Perspective on Lawyer-Client Interaction.” JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, vol. 49, no. 3, 2022, pp. 542–66, doi:10.1111/jols.12385.
APA
Jacobs, M., & Maryns, K. (2022). Agency and vulnerability in the field of immigration law : a linguistic-ethnographic perspective on lawyer-client interaction. JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, 49(3), 542–566. https://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12385
Chicago author-date
Jacobs, Marie, and Katrijn Maryns. 2022. “Agency and Vulnerability in the Field of Immigration Law : A Linguistic-Ethnographic Perspective on Lawyer-Client Interaction.” JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY 49 (3): 542–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12385.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Jacobs, Marie, and Katrijn Maryns. 2022. “Agency and Vulnerability in the Field of Immigration Law : A Linguistic-Ethnographic Perspective on Lawyer-Client Interaction.” JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY 49 (3): 542–566. doi:10.1111/jols.12385.
Vancouver
1.
Jacobs M, Maryns K. Agency and vulnerability in the field of immigration law : a linguistic-ethnographic perspective on lawyer-client interaction. JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY. 2022;49(3):542–66.
IEEE
[1]
M. Jacobs and K. Maryns, “Agency and vulnerability in the field of immigration law : a linguistic-ethnographic perspective on lawyer-client interaction,” JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 542–566, 2022.
@article{8754338,
  abstract     = {{Migrants are often perceived as a group of vulnerable victims, especially within a legal context such as the one in this study: lawyer-client consultations in the field of immigration law. The literature describes how institutional limitations often translate into asymmetric lawyer-client dynamics. The linguistic-ethnographic data gathered for this study shows, however, that the reality is more complex. In operationalizing the concept of agency, this study focuses on the dynamic-relational nature of power differences, which implies a move away from the binary conceptualization of structure and agency. The ethnographic lens helps to unpack agency and reveals a picture of strategic behaviour that is contextually embedded and multi-layered. In this light, the performance of agency and vulnerability is shown to be (1) interactionally achieved, (2) indicative of an awareness of macro-level processes, and (3) reflective of the philosophy behind the authorities' migration management.}},
  author       = {{Jacobs, Marie and Maryns, Katrijn}},
  issn         = {{0263-323X}},
  journal      = {{JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY}},
  keywords     = {{MIGRANT AGENCY,ASYLUM,NARRATIVES,MIGRATION,CARE,LANGUAGE,POLITICS,SEARCH,RIGHTS,POWER}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{542--566}},
  title        = {{Agency and vulnerability in the field of immigration law : a linguistic-ethnographic perspective on lawyer-client interaction}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12385}},
  volume       = {{49}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}

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