ABSTRACT
This book has drawn from a wide range of disciplines to produce a detailed analysis of asylum seeking in Hong Kong. Framed around the idea of unfolding the narratives of the people who seek protection in the former British colony, my research has sought to provide a reliable and well-documented account of the agency of asylum seekers and the circumstances surrounding and shaping this agency. No doubt certain issues have remained unanswered or only partially explained. Nonetheless, the key arguments that have been posed depict a condition of contemporary asylum seekers that is inclusive and explanatory of their vulnerability and the complex relations that surface in ever more globally connected places. This condition, in turn, raises a number of questions about the current structure of asylum and the emergence of discourses aimed at categorizing and homogenizing the needs of certain urban populations. Against this backdrop, this chapter is intended to summarize the main findings and claims detailed in the previous pages to shed light on the experience of asylum seekers, as both individuals and objects of policy. The aim is also to offer conclusive arguments about the significance of this research and the dynamics underlying the mobility and control of unwanted people in this global city.
