Refugees, Humanitarianism, and the Politics of Kinship | Sophia Balakian

E579 | The word "refugee" might conjure images of families devastated by war fleeing their homeland. But what happens when those who seek asylum abroad do not conform to that image? As Sophia Balakian argues in her new book Unsettled Families: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and the Politics of Kinship, the question is one that shapes the case of every refugee seeking a new home abroad in the United States. The Somali and Congolese migrants in her study face an intense vetting process that includes DNA testing to confirm that a refugee family forms a biological unit, creating numerous reasons by which people who have survived war and displacement may be judged "fraudulent" family units. In this episode, Balakian is back on the podcast to share an anthropologist's perspective on the history of migration and the politics of kinship in refugee resettlement. More at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2026/01/balakian.html Sophia Balakian is a scholar of migration and an assistant professor at George Mason University. Her book, Unsettled Families, was recognized as a 2025 Choice Outstanding Academic Title. Chris Gratien is Associate Professor of History at University of Virginia, where he teaches classes on global environmental history and the Middle East. His first book, The Unsettled Plain: An Environmental History of the Late Ottoman Frontier, explores the social and environmental transformation of the Adana region of Southern Turkey during the 19th and 20th century. Brittany White is a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of Virginia. Broadly, she is interested in the African Diaspora in former Ottoman territories. CREDITS Episode No. 579 Release Date: 22 January 2025 Recording Location: University of Virginia Sound production and music by Chris Gratien. Closing music by A.A. Aalto Bibliography courtesy of Sophia Balakian at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2026/01/balakian.html