The View from the Window

The Parc des Olieux is a neighborhood garden in the quartier of Moulin, not far from the center of the French town of Lille. The city website advertises the area with the words: “A small square of 8,000m2, this garden, separated from traffic by grassy hills, is ideal for children’s games in total safety!”  Further …

Redefining Humanitarianism

In many ways, Parc des Olieux redefined what it means to be a ‘refugee camp.’ Rather than being separated from society, fenced off out of sight and out of mind, this place developed just outside the windows of a community, and because of that, the ways in which the community got involved were also unique. …

Exception to the State of Exception?

One can be stern and make an objective decision void of sympathy or fear when it comes to decision-making affecting adults. But such is not the case for children and minors. There is a common understanding that they are an exception - a 'special case' which needs to be prioritized through a 'best interest' or welfare perspective. …

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

During the last weeks we have been doing as much research as possible related to the Parc des Olieux—contacting people involved, reading news and articles, obtaining pictures of the site before and after it was dismantled. We thought that the amount of information we had gathered so far was enough to reconstruct a very real …