The Power of the Displaced

Abstract

This essay makes a case against representations of internally displaced persons as helpless victims or mere survivors of wars without denying their horrendous experience of being caught in armed conflicts. In recognizing human agency, I examined the persistence and creativity of the displaced in dealing with 35 years of on and off displacement in Central Mindanao. The displaced produced new relations in and beyond their respective communities, including negotiating and collaborating with government, military and rebels during the time when humanitarian organizations were not present in conflict areas. In dealing with displacement, displaced persons continuously reordered their lives and social relations, ushering in new socio-political arrangements that enabled them to evacuate, return and rebuild their communities. Their actions in transforming difficult conditions to new realities can be viewed as the power of the displaced.