REFUGEES AFTER AGAMBEN: WOMEN, THE LITERATURE OF 'BARE LIFE' AND THE STATE OF EXCEPTION

As global freedom of movement renders the structures of nation states obsolete, Agamben's bid for a new political community which holds the figure of the refugee at its centre becomes increasingly prescient. Agamben's model, in which the marginalised refugee will rewrite the political landscape of the world, raises profound questions about human rights yet fundamentally excludes women's experiences. This PhD will demonstrate how narratives by Sonia Nazario, Camilla Gibb, Clemantine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil and Leymah Gbowee shed light upon the blindspots of theory, revealing the nuanced forms of exception enacted upon women and minorities.