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City of welcome: refugee storytelling and the politics of place

Abstract Drawing from a programme of applied research engaging with diverse groups of young people in an urban setting in Australia, this paper explores the peace building potential of facilitated storytelling. In this study ‘co-performative refugee storytelling’ involved scaling up narrative practices with the intention of creating city spaces that are more meaningfully inclusive of young people from refugee backgrounds. This model hinges on the theories of urban philosophers who emphasized the role of the imagination, and of cultural activity, in producing public space as a site of resistance. If space is produced relationally, and if cultural activity is an important medium for the production of relational space, then the role of artists and storytellers becomes a critical one in the creation of city spaces that are either welcoming or alienating. This discussion weaves strands of urban and cultural philosophy into a practical model for mobilizing collective storytelling to support a practice where a cosmopolitan imaginary can be publicly rehearsed. Ultimately, the function of this paper is to establish that if, as cultural practitioners, we understand that ‘co-performative refugee storytelling’ has the potential to produce relational spaces, then we may put this imaginary to use in practical ways.