Immobile but not Motionless. The Sahrawi Sedentarization as a Strategy of Adaptation and Response to Survive; on The Possibility of an Immobile Nomadism

Inmóviles, pero no quietos. La sedentarización de los saharauis como estrategia de adaptación y respuesta a la supervivencia. Sobre la posibilidad de un nomadismo inmóvil

The nomadic/sedentary polarities are today questioned as Western constructions. Its deconstruction is necessary in contexts where nomadic populations become refugees for climatic, political and/or economic reasons. This is the case with Sahrawis’ exile in Algeria after Maroq was invaded in 1975 and Western Sahara was occupied until the present day. Sahrawi refugee camps near Tindouf have been often studied in their relations to prior nomadic encampments. Examining Sahrawi’s most exceptional motions and their settlement forms throughout the 20th century, we want to pose the hypothesis of Sahrawi immobile nomadism. We support the urgency to consider multiple dimensions of time and motion
when analyzing nomadism, from the instant to the long durée of population movements. Thus, we can understand sedentarization in Sahrawi camps as a temporary survival strategy. Keywords: Sahrawi Refugee camps; motions and spatialities; nomadism; immobile nomadism; sedentarization; protracted refugeehood, Western Sahara, Tinduf.