Sheltering Strangers - by Daniel Briggs (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book documents the intimate lives of Ukrainians as they fled their homeland in search of a safe and stable place to stay. The critical memoirs follow the lives of 16 Ukrainian families in a small Spanish town near Madrid and the local families that volunteered to host them during a time of limited state support and an absence of a clear EU plan for the refugees.

Through first-hand testimonies, social media messages and photographs, the book reveals the scarring realities of the Ukrainians' upheaval, displacement and trauma alongside the well-meaning sacrifices made by the host families which quickly mutate into moralistic and meritocratic expectations of their new guests.

In doing so, the book offers a vivid portrayal of how the tensions of war and displacement play out in real life in real time.

Review Quotes

"Daniel Briggs provides a challenging ethnographic account of Ukrainian refugees and their Spanish hosts, set against the backdrop of war. This is essential reading." Anthony Lloyd, Teesside University

"This is a timely book offering a vital lens for understanding the wider, predictable and unpredictable, forces at play following the Ukrainian/Russian conflict, which determine what happens to the Ukrainians migrating to Spain as well as the attitudes and actions of the Spanish families that host them. With extremely detailed observations of developments, this work is a fast-paced, lively and intimate story of fleeing home, trying to find another, and the accompanying frustrations, emotions and traumas. There is no one better than Dan Briggs to tell that story and, if you read this book, you will see why... A truly indispensable account." Georgios A. Antonopoulos, Northumbria University

"Sheltering Strangers offers a unique glimpse into the lived experience of displaced Ukrainian families and their Spanish hosts. The book delves beneath the governmental rhetoric and mainstream accounts to unearth the tensions, emotions, and day-to-day interactions of the participants, which are captured eloquently by Briggs. His ethnographic work illustrates the often-overlooked reverberations of global conflict and tells an important and emotive story of loss, displacement, and compassion." Nick Gibbs, Northumbria University

"This is a powerful and deeply insightful account that navigates the complexities of hosting Ukrainian families with compassion and respect. With unflinching honesty, this book documents the harsh realities of integration, family tensions and neoliberal pressure faced by both hosts and guests, in an exceptionally balanced way. Grounded in political, social and cultural context, Daniel Briggs offers a critical, yet accessible narrative infused with humanity." Emma Armstrong, Teesside University

"Dan Briggs is perhaps Britain's most committed and productive ethnographer. In study after study, he has revealed slices of reality that starkly contrast with the dominant liberal worldview. In Sheltering Strangers, he invites us to appraise the real lives of Ukrainian refugees and the Spanish citizens who have offered them a foothold in the new world. This is a highly readable, insightful and above all honest account of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations." Simon Winlow, Northumbria University

"Insightful, moving and profoundly thought provoking, Briggs brings to life the realities of Ukrainian refugees forced from their homes by conflict. Another inspired piece of scholarly work from one of criminology's best ethnographers." Justin Kotzé, Northumbria University

About the Author