Abstract:
This article explores the interactions between key actors in asylum interviews in South Africa
and Sweden. It is based on forty-one interviews with asylum seekers, interpreters, state officials,
and legal representatives. The analysis is guided by theories on professional encounters,
bureaucratic violence, and interdependence. The result is presented in two themes: the emergence
of mismanagement due to repressive policies and cost-cutting measures, and misinterpretation
due to poor interpretation services and failure to recognize the hermeneutic aspects
of asylum seekers’ claims. These issues lead to mistrust in the asylum system and in each
other’s capacities, as key actors fail to take joint responsibility for the interview act and
its outcome. The conclusion is that all key actors operate within a destructive process of
mistrust, reinforced by an increasingly repressive political framework as its strongest
driving force.
