The Aesthetics of Resistance in Australian-run Immigration Detention Centres on Manus Island: The Case Study of Behrouz Boochani

Abstract

The offshore detention regime for asylum seekers represents a contested model of border control, punishing those seeking refuge and violating their fundamental rights. This research, however, reveals a powerful counterpoint: the use of art and creativity as tools of resistance by detainees. Through the story of Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian-Kurdish journalist and former Manus Island detainee, this study illuminates the power of art and creativity in challenging this system. Despite his lengthy confinement, Boochani produced a remarkable body of creative work that exposed the harsh realities of detention, creating a counter-narrative that gained international acclaim. This research introduces creativity as a tool for political activism, challenging the invisibility inherent in offshore detention. The concept of ‘creative subjectivation’; is presented as an analytical framework to understand how creative practices facilitate the transformation of marginalized refugees into active political subjects. To explore this, the study investigates the structural, operational, and experiential dimensions of offshore detention, from macro-level border policies to micro-level dynamics within detention centers. Drawing on qualitative in- depth interviews with Boochani, his creative collaborators, journalists, human rights advocates, and former detainees, this study provides a multifaceted perspective on creative resistance within highly restrictive spaces of border enforcement. The dissertation comprises seven chapters that explore themes of border politics, the evolution of Australia’s offshore detention policies, the lived experiences within detention centers, and the transformative potential of creative resistance and includes the production of a documentary film that offers an immersive and sensorial exploration of creative resistance and migrant activism within the offshore detention regime. This project contributes to critical migration and border studies by illuminating the transformative potential of creative resistance in contexts of extreme marginalization. It offers new insights into refugee agency, migrant politics, border politics, and the role of art in contesting anti-asylum policies and practices.