Anthropology and Expertise in the Asylum Courts

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Focusing on the legal process of claiming asylum, this study employs an anthropological lens to examine the significance of expert evidence from anthropologists and other 'country experts.' It explores how such evidence influences asylum assessments by the Home Office and tribunal adjudicators, comparing the use of social scientific and medical evidence in legal contexts. The research is grounded in field observations from over 300 appeal hearings in London and Glasgow, alongside interviews with legal professionals, highlighting the application of key concepts from the 1951 Refugee Convention.