Eric Tang's Refugee Temporality Tang

“Refugee temporality” is a designated term that defines how a refugee themself understands “the long and unbroken time and space” (Tang 21) of one’s captivity. This expression highlights “each crossing, resettlement, and displacement, an old and familiar form of power is being reinscribed” (Tang 21). In Unsettled, Eric Tang follows Ra Pronh and her movement throughout the neverending imprisonment. Ra, and the other Cambodian refugees embody the “immigrant struggle to survive and build a new identity in the new land of America” (Soksreinith 2016). Tang argues that refugees discover that their captivity does not end when they leave the camps, but rather it continues in the hyperghetto of New York City. We are pushed to believe that once you enter the United States …show more content…
If, on crossing into a nation of asylum, the refugee is supposed to feel a moment of liberation, that moment never arrived for her. Instead, she described her crossing as uneventful” (Tang 48). This suggests refugees are aware they will be prisoners in any area they reside as if they are being observed by watchdogs. Not only do refugees view themselves as prisoners, but reluctant followers and compelled laborers who rely on their leaders for survival due to their miserable circumstances. Immigrants feared their survival under the hostage of Khmer Rouge, as well as under the roofs of their Bronx residences. The internal housing conditions posed the greatest challenges upon immigrants. During the long winter, people were forced to live with no heat and no hot water since building owners refused to pay the bills. Some of the rooms had electrical problems and didn’t have windows which allowed the frigid air to enter. The government was reluctant to provide stable hospitality. This highlights the hard transition of being held captive in one location, to having little to no freedom in a temporary location that insists on keeping these refugees