Refouler

Refouler is a French verb meaning to drive back, push away, or reject, and it can be used in several distinct senses. It can describe a physical act, such as preventing entry or repelling an advance (refouler quelqu’un à une porte, refouler des vagues). It also covers figurative meanings, including the suppression or restraint of impulses, emotions, or memories (refouler des larmes, refouler un souvenir).

The term is commonly contrasted with expulsar or renvoyer, since refouler emphasizes preventing movement or intrusion rather than permanent removal. In psychological contexts, refouler is used to describe the repression of unacceptable thoughts or desires. The noun form refoulement is widely used in psychoanalytic writing to denote this defense mechanism, as well as in everyday language to refer to the act of repressing.

In international law, refoulement refers specifically to the act of returning a person to a country where they may face persecution, danger, or serious harm. The principle of non-refoulement, codified in the 1951 Refugee Convention and regional instruments, prohibits such returns in most circumstances. Exceptions exist in cases of urgent security concerns or public safety, but broad interpretations of refoulement are subject to legal and human rights scrutiny.

Etymology traces refouler to the prefix re- plus fouler (to trample or press). The verb is regular in its conjugation: present je refoule, tu refoules, il refoule, nous refoulons, vous refoul ez, ils refoulent; passé composé j’ai refoulé; imperfect je refoulais; past participle refoulé; infinitive refouler.