Forced Migration Research Archive
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The Forced Migration Research Archive (FMRA) is an initiative of the Refugee Research Network and supported by the Centre for Refugee Studies and York University Libraries. It was established to promote the Green Open Access option to researchers working in the field of refugee and forced migration studies. Steady increases in the article processing charges (APCs) associated with Gold and Hybrid OA have presented significant challenges to prospective authors who wish to provide open access to their research articles, particularly those who are new to the field and/or who are based in the Global South. The ideal alternative? Depositing postprint versions of journal articles in repositories (the “green route”). Doing so means that authors can continue to publish in their journals of choice without incurring any publication fees. However, not all authors in this subject area have access to repositories at their own institutions, either because the universities with which they are affiliated have not established one or because they are non-academics working with NGOs, IGOs, or independently. FMRA offers a solution: A space where forced migration authors can quickly deposit their journal articles, and subsequently be assured that their scholarship will be easily located by the wider research community as well as preserved over the long-term.
If you are interested in learning more about this project and the process of submission, please visit the FMRA page.
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Item Open Access A Cosmopolitan Race: Northeast Migrants in Delhi-NCR(Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, 2023-12) Gayari, AnasmaThis paper attempts to critically investigate the lens of cosmopolitanism that is often used to represent migrants from the Northeast region in Delhi. Such cosmopolitanism attributed to the migrants from the Northeast emanates from their racial and cultural otherness from what is generally considered as India “proper” or the 'mainland'. Along with the spatial relegation of the migrants in cosmopolitan mohallas or neighbourhoods, their typecasting into certain skill sets in consonant with the needs of the neoliberal labour market add to their further 'otherisation' as racial outsiders.Item Open Access A mile in their shoes: understanding healthcare journeys of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK(International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 2024-04-01) Talks, Isobel; Al Mobarak, Buthena; Katona, Cornelius; Hunt, Jane; Winters, Niall; Geniets, AnnePurpose Refugees and asylum seekers worldwide face numerous barriers in accessing health systems. The evidence base regarding who and what helps refugees and asylum seekers facilitate access to and the navigation of the health system in the UK is small. This study aims to address this gap by analysing 14 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with refugees and asylum seekers of different countries of origin in the UK to identify where, when and how they came into contact with the health-care system and what the outcome of these interactions was. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were chosen as the key method for this study. In total, 14 individual interviews were conducted. A trauma-informed research approach was applied to reduce the risk of re-traumatising participants. Findings The paper identifies key obstacles as well as “facilitators” of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ health-care experience in the UK and suggests that host families, friends and third-party organisations all play an important role in ensuring refugees and asylum seekers receive the healthcare they need. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative study in the UK that looks at comprehensive health journeys of refugees from their first encounter with health services through to secondary care, highlighting the important role along the way of facilitators such as host families, friends and third-party organisations.Item Open Access A Report on the Impact of Immigration Detention on the Health and Well-being of Refugees & Asylum Seekers: A meta-ethnography(International Contemporary Ethnography Across the Disciplines (CEAD) Association Incorporated, 2024-04-28) Wembri, Elizabeth; Chin, Mellisa; McClunie-Trust, PatriciaThe extended periods that some asylum seekers experience in immigration detention potentially compromise their mental health and physical well-being. This compromise is associated with the prevailing culture and conditions within some immigration detention facilities in Western countries, such as Australia, Canada and Germany. This review aims to synthesise the findings of studies that report on the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers while they have been held in immigration detention. A meta-ethnographic approach guided the synthesis following the eMERGe meta-ethnography reporting guidance structure. Three common storyline metaphors were identified from the synthesis of findings of seven qualitative studies: (1) treating like criminals, jail-like, prison-like, and treated like animals; (2) killing your mind and torturing your mind; and (3) feelings of hopelessness, worry, despair and fear. The findings of this review suggest that the culture and the practices of immigration detention that impact refugees and asylum seekers who are detained for sometimes extended periods need to be transformed. The time that people are held in detention and the context for that detention needs urgent review. While immigration detention is legislated and enacted differently in the countries where the included studies were located, Government policies should consider alternative approaches such as community detention. Regular monitoring of immigration detention practices by external bodies should be mandated, and ongoing staff training for workers in detention facilities should be instituted to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are treated fairly and with dignity when detained.Item Open Access A review of drivers of environmental non‑migration decisions in Africa(Regional Environmental Change, 2022-10-17) Balgah, Roland; Kimengsi, Jude NdzifonIn spite of growing scholarship on environmentally induced non-migration research in Africa, comprehensive empirical evidence of non-migration drivers is extremely difficult to find. We review 77 rigorously selected empirical articles on the drivers of environmental non-migration. A variety of relevant keywords was applied to search, identify, and select key publications from ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, and the Climig databases. Content analysis and inter-rater reliability (IRR) analysis were used to summarize the literature and identify key drivers of environmental non-migration decisions across all retained articles. The study structure was informed by the Foresight (2011a) conceptual framework. A growth in the non-migration literature across the time period was observed. Social factors, particularly place-based attachment and family/cultural obligations, was identified as the most important driver of non-migration (IRR score = 0.67). Environmental factors were ranked second, particularly the ability of the affected to develop coping capacity through experiential learning even in contexts marred by resource scarcity and widespread poverty. Given the limited literature on environmental nonmigration decisions, we recommend increased non-migration research across Africa to better inform policy decisions. This is particularly important as climate-related disasters surge. Frequent reviews on diverse aspects of non-migration studies are recommended to redefine future research and non-migration policy considerations in Africa.Item Open Access Advocating multi-disciplinarity in studying complex emergencies: the limitations of a psychological approach to understanding how young people cope with prolonged conflict in Gaza(Cambridge University Press, 2004-06-23) Lewando Hundt, Gillian; Chatty, Dawn; Thabet, Abdelaziz; Abuateya, HalaThe paper looks at the limitations and strengths of using the A cope questionnaire for measuring strategies for coping with prolonged conflict by Palestinian young people in Gaza. The scale was administered to young people between the ages of 8-17. The results show some gender differences in coping strategies. However, some items on the sub scales are not relevant for Muslim societies or in situations of prolonged conflict. The authors suggest that combining an anthropological contextual perspective and qualitative data with psychological instruments is an effective way of addressing the limitations of using a single quantitative method of assessment in non-western complex social and cultural settings.Item Open Access Attention deficit–hyperactivity symptoms among Palestinian children(Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ), 2010) Thabet, Abdelaziz; Al Ghamdi, H.; Abdulla, T.; Elhelou, Mohamed-Wafaie; Vostanis, Panosعبد العزيز موسى ثابت، حنان الغامدي، تيسير عبد الله، محمد وفائي الحلو، بانوس فوستانيس الخلاصة: يهدف هذا المقال لتوطيد معدلات انتشار وتوزع أعراض اضطراب نقص الانتباه وفرط الفعالية، وما يصاحبه من مشكلات مرضية في الصحة النفسية لدى أطفال المدارس في فلسطين. وقد درس الباحثون، عشوائياً، 349 طفلاً، تتراوح أعمارهم بين 6 و 15 عاماً، ينتمون إلى 23 مدرسة في غزة وفي الصفة الغربية، وأعطيت لهم درجات وصفها آباؤهم ومعلموهم باستخدام قائمة تفقدية لمتلازمة نقص الانتباه وفرط الفعالية لدى الأطفال، والفصل الرابع من الدليل الإحصائي التشخيصي، واستبيان التعرف على نقاط القوة ونقاط الصعوبة، وهو استبيان يقيس أيضاً المشكلات التي تعتري التصرفات والانفعالات. وكان هناك اتفاق يُعتد به إحصائياً بين الآباء والمعلمين، فقد صنِّف 4.3 % من الأطفال فوق مستوى الحرز الفاصل من قِبَل كلٍ من الآباء والمعلمين الذين استخدموا القائمة التفقدية والفصل الرابع من الدليل الإحصائي التشخيصي، وقد لاحظ الباحثون أن الجنس الذكري، وحجم الأسرة، والمعيشة في منطقة تعاني من الحرمان الاقتصادي والاجتماعي، هي عوامل تصاحب بشكل مستقل مع أعراض نقص الانتباه وفرط الفعالية.Item Open Access Book Review: Gravel Heart(Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, 2021-12) Bhattacharya, SukanyaThis is a review of "Gravel Heart" by Abdulrazak Gurnah, London/Oxford/New York/New Delhi/Sydney: Bloomsbury Publishing 2017, pp. 272, ₹270. ISBN 978-1526603692 (Paperback).Item Open Access Bordering through legal non-existence: the production of de facto statelessness among women and children through the National Registry of Citizens in Assam, India(Inderscience, 2024-07-24) Bhuyan, Rupaleem; Sarma, Madhumita; Azad, Abdul Kalam; Bordoloi, AnupolThis article applies a feminist bordering lens to examine the legal and administrative procedures through which an estimated 1.9 million residents of India's northeastern state of Assam have been excluded from the 2019 National Registry of Citizens (NRC). Since India's independence from Great Brittan, the colonial legacy of borders and national belonging have fuelled heated conflicts among the Assamese ethnic majority, Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims whose ancestors originated in what is now Bangladesh, Adivasi communities, (i.e., the region's original inhabitants), and the Indian government's authority to expel 'foreigners'. While the convergence of Hindu nationalism and Assamese ethnonationalism contributes to a citizenship crisis among people of Bengali heritage in Assam, we consider how bureaucratic requirements to verify citizenship reinforce racial, class, and patriarchal inequality for women and children from low-income communities who are at risk of de facto statelessness because they are not 'legible' as citizens in India.Item Open Access Building an ethical research culture: Scholars of refugee background researching refugee-related issues(Oxford Academic, 2024-03-25) Albtran, Ahmad; Aksu, Pinar; Al-Fakir, Zuhair; Al-Hashimi, Heidar; Baillot, Helen; Izzeddin, Azad; Yohannes, Hyab Teklehaimanot; Kirkwood, Steve; Mfaco, Bulelani; Nicole, Tandy; Ní Raghallaigh, Muireann; Ogutu, Gordon; O'Reilly, Zoe; Younes, AnghamRecent scholarship on the need to decolonize refugee research, andmigration researchmore generally, points to the urgency of challenging ongoing colonial power structures inherent in such research. Increased involvement of scholars with lived experience is oneway to challenge and remake unequal and colonial power relations. Through discussions with researchers of forced migration, we aimed to explore the challenges, barriers, and supports related to involvement in such research, and to identify how research practices and structures could be improved to increase and facilitate the involvement of scholars with refugee backgrounds. In this field reflection, we highlight key points and suggestions for better research practice that emerged from these discussions. In doing so, we are endeavouring to contribute to the important ongoing conversation about ethics and decolonizing research.We build on existing ethical guidelines by opening up some of the complexities of ethical practice and offering concrete actions that can be taken to work through these.Item Open Access Calcutta Riots of August 1946: Muslim Experiences from the Troubled Times(Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, 2023-12) Majumdar, SohiniThis paper revisits the Calcutta Riots of August 1946 to bring to the fore the diversity and complexity of Muslim experiences, which is often neglected in the grand narratives of communalism and communal violence. Along with examining stories of displacements, trauma, and violence, the paper investigates instances of help, protection, and kindness that showed familiar bonds of neighbourliness and remained resilient despite communal polarity. In the final section, the paper reads a few letters written by Muslim residents both to the Congress and to the Muslim League that underscore an erosion of faith in their respective political parties, especially at a time when both parties claimed to represent and protect Muslim interests in the region, albeit in their own specific ways.Item Open Access Corporate sector engagement in contemporary ‘crises’: the case of refugee integration in Germany(Wiley, 2023-04-17) Müller, Tanja R.Refugee integration is one of the main global challenges of the present, at a time when the corporate sector is regarded as a key actor in multi-stakeholder partnerships through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper examines its role as a partner of the state in addressing the movement of refugees into Germany from 2015 onwards. Based on interview data and informal conversations with members of Wir Zusammen, an integration initiative, and supplemented by a review of business reports and media documentation, it discusses the multifaceted engagements by parts of the corporate sector in Germany with refugee integration. These are analysed as ‘thin’ and ‘thick’, and as following different institutional logics. The paper adds to understanding of the political dimensions of corporate responses, their potential to challenge the status quo, and their pitfalls. Ultimately, it argues that corporate involvement with humanitarian and development challenges works best when embedded locally and is context specific.Item Open Access Covid-19 and Urban Migrants in the Horn of Africa: Lived Citizenship and Everyday Humanitarianism(Institute of Development Studies, 2022-04-26) Müller, Tanja R.This article focuses on the everyday humanitarianism of migrant communities in three cities in the Horn of Africa: Nairobi, Addis Ababa, and Khartoum. It is framed around the concept of lived citizenship, defined as a means to secure wellbeing through everyday acts and practices. Based on an analysis of comparative interview data among Eritrean and Ethiopian migrant communities in each city, the article argues that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted lived citizenship practices to different degrees, linked to previous forms of precarity, and the means and networks of coping with those. Disruptions of transnational support networks resulted in a turn towards local networks and everyday practices of solidarity. These forms of everyday humanitarianism range from spontaneous to more organised forms, united by a perceived lack of involvement by international humanitarian actors and the local state. The article raises important questions in relation to transnational humanitarian action in a global crisis.Item Open Access Disaster induced displacement and durable solutions in Africa(Springer Nature, 2024-07-09) Mateko, Freeman Munisi; Vutula, NoncedoClimate change represents a significant challenge to the sustainability of the global economy. Many African countries have suffered the repercussions of environmental and climate deterioration, most notably internal displacement. This article sought to examine the impact of climate change within the context of internal displacement in Africa and to preview and describe the trends of internally displaced people in Africa. The study used a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data was obtained from online repositories, and it was analyzed using content analysis. Quantitative data was obtained from World Bank portal and it was analysed using descriptive statistics. Research findings have shown that Africa is plagued by a high number of internally displaced people. It was also established that climate change leads to income inequality, the exposure of people to poverty, and the destruction of infrastructure. These adverse effects affect the capacity of African economies to attain selected Sustainable Development Goals. In terms of policy recommendations, it was suggested that there is a need to strengthen the regional and continental bodies, invest in climate change adaptation measures, broaden the definition of refugees to include climate refugees, and promote robust research and capacity building.Item Open Access Educational Needs and Educational Deprivation of Syrian Refugee Children in Jordanian ‘Random Camps’: ‘It’s Hard to Think about the Future of Tomorrow, if We Don’t Have Enough to Eat Today’(Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, 2024-06-15) Huth-Hildebrandt, Christine; Al'Ali, Ali; Al-Madi, BaderWhen thousands of Syrian families seeking help fled to Jordan at the beginning of the Syrian Crisis in March 2011, the Jordanian government set up camps to accommodate the displaced people. Some of the Syrian refugees are supported by humanitarian organizations, some have since received work permits. On the other hand, others are trying to find work in the informal sector, particularly in agriculture. Thus, numerous settlements, so-called random camps, have sprung up on the outskirts of the farms in rural Jordan, where Syrian families are housed during the harvest season (Perosino, 2023). The following article deals with such settlements. More specifically, it deals with the following: school dropouts from Syrian agricultural worker families, the needs and problems of the school-age children living there, gaps in the Jordanian education system, and answers as to how these children can continue to be enabled to attend school regularly. Thus, an ethnographic study was conducted in rural areas. Focus group discussions were held with parents from two irregular settlements, and qualitative interviews were conducted with experts from the Ministry of Education and Humanitarian Organizations. The study concludes that school dropouts among Syrian children of agricultural workers cannot be explained solely by poverty and child labor, but must be considered through the rural school and educational system that does not correspond to the mobile way of life of the Syrian agricultural worker families. This inevitably leads to the exclusion of children from school attendance.Item Open Access Effect of Trauma Due to War on Dissociative Symptoms and Resilience among Palestinian Adolescents in the Gaza Strip(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2014-11) Ghannam, Reem Taisir; Thabet, AbdelazizAim: The present study examined the effect of war trauma on occurrence of dissociative symptoms and the role of resilience among Palestinian adolescents in the Gaza Strip. Method: N=400 adolescents (179 boys, 221 girls) were randomly selected from 10 schools in five areas in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Traumatic Checklist, Dissociative Symptoms Scale for Adolescents, and Resilience Scale for Adolescents were used for assessment and socio-demographic data collected. Result: Regardless of gender, all participants reported an average of nine traumatic events regardless of family income, number of siblings, parent education and work status. The mean score for dissociative symptoms in girls was 75.67 vs. 73.65 in boys. No statistically significant differences in dissociative symptoms according to gender, age, place of residence, parent education and work status. Mean resilience was 112.18, individual resources, e.g. personal skills, social skills, and peer support was 44.06; physical and psychological caregiving by primary caregivers was 27.42, and contextual resources including spiritual, cultural and educational resources mean was 37.42. No statistically significant differences in the total resilience and subscales according to socio-demographic factors of gender, age, type of residence and parents work, whereas, resilience was higher in those with fewer siblings. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between dissociative symptoms and total resilience, individual resources, physical and psychological caregiving, and contextual resources. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between traumatic events and total trauma and total resilience, individual resources, and contextual resources. Clinical implications: Palestinian adolescents have been victims of continuous trauma with increased risk of psychopathology such as dissociative symptoms. Such symptoms negatively impacted upon adolescent resilience when handling adversity. Findings suggest the need for psychosocial interventions that reflect public health and child developmental requirements. Engaging children in interventions that are community-based recreational and cultural activities in war-affected populations have been found useful to heal.Item Open Access Effect of Trauma on the Mental Health of Palestinian Children and Mothers in the Gaza Strip(Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2001) Thabet, Abdelaziz; Abed, Yehia; Vostanis, PanosA cross-sectional study was conducted among 285 Palestinian children 9-18 years of age and their mothers in the Gaza Strip. Traumatic events recollected by children living in areas of conflict, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress reactions and the relationship between children's and mothers' mental health were investigated. The Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist, Impact of Event Scale (IES) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used to measure outcome. Children experienced on average four traumatic events; one-third reported significant post-traumatic stress reactions. IES scores were higher among girls and mothers' GHQ scores significantly predicted children's IES scores.Item Open Access Engaging refugee women and girls as experts: co-creating evidence on sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian crises using creative, participatory methods(Policy Press, 2022-02-18) Potts, Alina; Fattal, Loujine; Kolli, HarrietBackground: Humanitarian evidence is produced in settings of heightened power imbalances between research stakeholders. Yet evidence production processes often lack explicit reflection of who is shaping the questions asked and making meaning of the answers. Aims and objectives: Empowered Aid is participatory action research that seeks to mitigate sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) perpetrated by aid actors. Refugee women and girls in Uganda and Lebanon, as experts on SEA risk, are engaged co-researchers in generating evidence on how to make aid distributions safer. Methods: Diverse creative processes are utilised to co-produce knowledge about SEA risks and strategies to reduce them. These same processes are used to reflect on power dynamics within the research process itself, local gender power dynamics, and structural power dynamics between aid actors and those receiving aid. Findings: Fifty-five Syrian and South Sudanese refugee women and girl co-researchers used ethnographic methods to document their and their peers’ lived experiences of SEA risks while accessing humanitarian aid. Creative methods including drawing, drama, storytelling, community mapping, and body mapping were applied during data collection and qualitative analysis, as well as in reflection and action analysis workshops. SEA was reported across all the types of aid studied, and these findings are being used to adapt aid distribution processes. Discussion and conclusions:
Creative and participatory practices can address the barriers, such as illiteracy (including computer illiteracy) and lack of training, often cited as limiting researchers’ ability to share power with affected communities, and allow for greater co-production of knowledge and evidence.Item Open Access Enigma of ‘Brus’ in Mizoram: Displacement, Repatriation and Livelihood(Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, 2022-06) Bijukumar, V.The construction of ethnic identity and perpetuation of ethnic consciousness among various communities of India‘s Northeast often legitimises the dominant position of some communities in exercising control over resources and accessing government jobs and thereby depriving the marginalised ethnic communities of their basic needs and survival. Territorial concentration and the making of ethnic boundary enable the dominant community to assert their rights over the smaller communities and put a strong demand for the homeland through Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). The simmering discontent and recurring tensions between the major and the minor communities often lead to violent conflicts resulting in the displacement of the latter and migration to neighbouring states as refugees. However, the government‘s failure to ensure safe repatriation for refugees who are fearing retaliation from the majority community hampers the process. The ethnic conflict between the Mizo ethnic majority and Brus minority in Mizoram is a classic example of how assertion and mobilisation of the majority and their access to political power and resource control leads to violent conflict, inhuman displacement and deprivation of the minority from the homeland.Item Open Access Ethical considerations of ‘going public’: public and media co-dissemination of research findings with refugees(Taylor & Francis, 2023-09-12) Berger, Lior; Shoham, ShaharCollaborative dissemination of research findings in the public and media spheres has the potential to reach large audiences, enhance forced migrants’ political participation and impact policies. ‘Going public’ further requires both researchers and forced migrants to engage visibly in a sphere that is often unexpected and less familiar to them. This paper discusses the methodological and ethical challenges and possibilities surrounding joint dissemination, drawing on a case study of public and media co-dissemination that occurred as part of an anti-deportation public campaign. In 2018, the Israeli government initiated a forced deportation plan aimed at deporting refugees to Rwanda. The authors had previously conducted research exploring the journeys of refugees who ‘voluntarily’ departed Israel to Rwanda, revealing that the deportees were pressured to embark on life-threatening journeys, eventually gaining protection in Europe. The findings were collaboratively shared through various activities, such as media interviews, public events, advocacy and cooperation with civil society organisations in Israel and globally. This paper discusses the three main aspects derived from our experiences: power imbalances and divisions of roles, consent as a process, and re-traumatisation and agency. Finally, ethical and practical recommendations for mitigating some of these challenges are offered.Item Open Access Everyday Lived Islam among Hazara Migrants in Scotland: Intersectionality, Agency, and Individualisation(MDPI, 2024-08-06) Mosawi, Sayed MahdiThe mainstream literature on the religiosity of Muslims in Europe often homogenises this diverse minority. This article diverges by focusing on a less visible ethno-religious minority within the Muslim population, specifically examining how Hazara Shia Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, resettled in the UK, live and organise Islam in everyday contexts. Addressing this gap, the research highlights the intersectionality of religion, ethnicity, and migration in reconfiguring religious practice. Grounded in the intersectional and lived religion approaches, this study contends that the religiosity of this Muslim minority undergoes a dynamic shift entwined with agency and adaptation in the new secular and plural context, becoming more individualised, privatised, and elective. Employing an ethnographic design, data are collected through semi-structured and key informant interviews, as well as participant observation, over 18 months of fieldwork across various council areas in Scotland. The findings illustrate reconfiguration, adaptation, and innovation in everyday Islam among this intersectional Muslim minority, identifying three main themes: the adaptation and reconfiguration of religious practices and rituals, the renegotiation of authoritative sources, and the navigation of intersectional identities and belonging since resettlement in the UK.