Lives Of Refugees Research Articles

Caring for Form: Ali Smith and Contemporary Refugee Life-Writing

Refugee life writing draws attention to the actual stories behind the statistics (100 million refugees worldwide, more than 3,000 people drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean in 2023 alone) and calls for solidarity across national and ethnic divides. A particularly poignant, but also provocative example of such an act of solidarity is the Refugee Tales project, in which established literary authors collaborate with refugees to relate stories of war, flight, loss, and the brutality of asylum systems in the West. This paper explores the ethical dimensions of telling somebody else’s life zooming in on the example of “The Detainee’s Tale as told to Ali Smith.” Unlike many of the other tales, Smith explains the process of visiting and interviewing two refugees trapped in the British asylum system. While the research on the ethics of Refugee Tales has focused on the questions of “trust” (Rupp) and “precarity” (Sandten) of the refugee condition, this article chooses a different path. It suggests that the ethical questions arising in “As-Told-To Life Writing” (Lindemann) remain in the shadow if seen only in terms of authenticity of voice. Instead of scrutinising the authority of the real-world author, it is worth redirecting the attention to the narrative discourse and the specific forms it takes. Drawing on Caroline Levine’s social formalism, the article investigates the interplay between political and aesthetic forms. In this collision of forms, “The Detainee’s Tale” unmasks and contests the inhumane side of the British asylum system, but it also carefully gestures towards possible ethical alternatives. The ethical aspects of Smith’s contribution are best described in terms of a feminist ethics of care, which values the moral salience of recognising and attending to the vulnerability of others (see Held).

The Representation of Refugee Experiences in Christy Lefteri’s The Beekeeper of Aleppo (2019)

This paper explores The Beekeeper of Aleppo (2019) by Christy Lefteri as a work of historical fiction that shifts the focus from general informative narratives to universal humanitarian experiences, emphasizing the individual lives of refugees rather than dehumanizing statistics or generic representations. By interweaving stories of Syrian refugees Nuri and Afra with those of refugees from diverse nationalities, Lefteri underscores the shared resilience and suffering of displaced individuals worldwide. The novel critiques stereotypical portrayals of refugees, presenting a nuanced depiction of their virtues and flaws, while dismantling simplistic binary distinctions of "good" and "bad" refugees. Through the use of detailed personal narratives, Lefteri contrasts the reductive coverage of refugees in news media and historical accounts, which often focus on numbers and geopolitical implications rather than individual experiences. The novel's vivid depictions of traumatic events, such as harrowing sea crossings and encounters with smugglers, highlight the refugees' emotional and psychological struggles, fostering empathy and understanding in readers. By bringing to light the complexities of refugees' decisions and the humanity behind their journeys, Lefteri moves beyond the confines of traditional historical and journalistic narratives, encouraging readers to see refugees not as faceless masses but as individuals with unique stories. This study points out the role of historical fiction in bridging the gap between the factual and the personal, revealing how art and literature can humanize historical events and challenge preconceived notions. The findings emphasize the power of storytelling in encouraging empathy and reshaping public perceptions of humanitarian crises, with implications for how societies engage with displaced populations.

Survivalist mobilities: freedom of movement and the economic lives of settlement refugees in Uganda

Abstract This article draws upon qualitative and quantitative data from Uganda to explore the ways in which mobility supports the livelihoods of refugees in rural settlements. It shows how, under conditions of extreme precarity and against the background of gradual reductions in humanitarian aid, refugees resort to short distance ‘survivalist mobilities’ underpinned by economic desperation. While trips to urban areas are rare and infrequent, refugees regularly move out of the settlements to access firewood, vegetation, and farmland and to engage in casual labour and petty trade. Such activities enable day-to-day survival, but there are structural constraints that prevent them from becoming sustainable livelihoods that allow for stability or growth. The article challenges the common description of mobility in policy and scholarly discourse as empowering, natural, and essential for the socio-economic progress of refugees, as well as some of the assumptions underpinning current refugee ‘self-reliance’ policies in Uganda.

Quality Of Life For Syrian Civil War Refugees In Turkey: A Comparison Between Refugees Living In-Side Camp To Out-Side Camp

In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the quality of life of refugees according to their residential areas who want to reach a better life by leaving their living areas due to various human and natural disasters. In addition, another reason that forms the basis for this purpose is the thought that the quality of life of refugees will affect the development of the country in which they will live in the future, together with their knowledge and skills. Internationally valid “quality of life scale” developed by World Health Organization was used in the research. The research was carried out in Pendik district of Istanbul and Yayladağı container city of Hatay. 313 people in the container city and 148 people in Istanbul were able to participate in the research due to some limitations. Data were analyzed by SPSS 22 package program and AMOS 23 package program. In terms of overall quality of life, there was no significant difference between inside and outside the camps. However, there was a significant difference in environmental life quality and single-question quality of life between inside and outside the camps. The environmental quality of life in the camp was 2.98±0.61 and outside the camp, it was 3.13±0.56. In terms of perceived quality of life in a single question, he scored 2.89±0.73 in camps and 3.20±0.80 out of camps. It is recommended to review the policies related to in-camp life, since the average score of the quality of life obtained on a single question basis, the environmental quality of life score, and the average score on the basis of the questions in-camp are lower than the average score out-camp. Regarding this issue, it is recommended to abolish the life in the camps or to improve the conditions further. It is suggested that this proposal should be taken into account in future mass migrations.

Gender Based Violence in Bhutanese Refugee Camps in Nepal: An Empirical Study from the Sanischar Refugee Camp

Gender based Violence (GBV) has been the experience of women worldwide and is a universal reality that has existed in all societies and human settlements regardless of class, income, culture, or educational attainment. It is today recognized as a major issue on the international human rights agenda and has been defined as violence that is directed against a person on the basis of gender and sex. Globally, the refugees experience the full spectrum of gender - based violence throughout their refugee life. Hundreds and thousands of Southern Bhutanese of Nepali origin or the Lhotshampas were forced to flee Bhutan at the beginning of the 1990s, as a result of the ethnic cleansing campaign of the monarchical government of Bhutan. Over 108, 000 refugees had initially settled in the seven refugee camps spread over the districts of Jhapa and Morang in the southeastern part of Nepal. Women were a part of the refugee population who sought protection in Nepal and so refugee women who are living in the makeshift camps in Nepal for more than three decades confront not only the hardship of refugee life in the camps but also face the injustice of gender based violence, as they have reported rape, sexual assault, polygamy, trafficking and domestic violence. Hence, the paper looks into the causes, types and impacts of gender based violence in the Sanischare Bhutanese refugee camps of Nepal.

The impact of savings-led microfinance on the lives of refugees

ABSTRACT In 2016, the United Nations changed the focus of refugee policies from one of humanitarian aid to one focused on economic development and self-reliance. In this paper, we analyse the impact of savings-led microfinance on South Sudanese refugees in Uganda. Due to non-randomisation, we implement doubly robust, difference-in-difference estimation. Results suggest that refugee members of a popular village savings and loan programme significantly increase their savings and borrowing relative to non-member refugees, and experience significant improvements in several key indicators, including food security, home improvement, and income-generating assets. After participation, refugees are better positioned to preserve assets in response to future unexpected and infrequent expenditures. Key mechanisms may include improved financial access and socially proximate peer monitoring. The results suggest that finding ways to better-leverage group affinity and build social cohesion could increase the effectiveness of similar programmes aimed at helping refugees.

Enhancing benefits for peer researchers: towards a flexible and needs-based approach to participatory research

ABSTRACT The involvement of peer researchers has recently gained popularity in social research, and the incentives for using participatory methodologies are well recognised. However, as we argue, the sole presence of peer researchers does not equate to their immediate empowerment, and more attention should be given to the roles they play in the research and the ways in which they can tangibly benefit from such collaborations. We explore the seemingly mundane aspects of work such as recruitment, training, conducting research, dissemination and the afterlife of the project, to suggest that meaningful engagement of peer researchers demands a tailored approach that is receptive to their particular needs and motivations, and is supportive of their individual growth. Our critical reflection stems from a two-year-long collaboration with peer researchers in Poland undertaken as part of a Horizon 2020 project, which explored the lives of young migrants and refugees in Europe.

Protocol for a cross-sectional study on factors affecting health-related quality of life among Afghan refugees in Pakistan

Background Pakistan served as a host for more than 1.4 million Afghan refugees for more than 40 years. Access to health care is the most important issue faced by refugees, because they might be at a higher risk for certain diseases. This risk can be attributed to a lack of awareness of health care facilities, health beliefs, inadequate hygiene, cultural differences, and malnutrition. Health of individuals is closely associated with their quality of life. Quality of life over the whole lifespan is pivotal to overall life satisfaction. It includes physical wellbeing, mental health, education, occupation, income, personal safety, as well as (religious) freedom. Until now, the health status of Afghan refugees has never been comprehensively investigated in Pakistan. Therefore, an assessment in this regard is needed to explore their health-related quality of life, for securing their human right to health. Methods A cross-sectional study has been designed to describe and explain the health-related quality of life of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Multistage cluster sampling was applied for selection of study participants. The number of respondents from two regions in Pakistan was drawn through a proportionate sampling technique. A quantitative research method using pre-validated questionnaires was used for data collection. The questionnaire included items to assess well-being, mental health, health literacy, and factors affecting health and health care. Descriptive analysis was used, whereas inferential statistical tests (binary logistic regression model) was also performed. The study received ethically permission by the Advanced Studies and Research Board of the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Discussion The assessment of Afghan refugee’s quality of life in Pakistan should lead to recommendations disseminated to public and health care officials. This evidence is needed for policymaking related to adequate measures for improving health conditions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

A Study on the Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and the Quality of Life of Syrian Refugees: Case Study for the Province of Kayseri.

The aim of this study is to investigate the factors related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety mental disorders, as well as the quality of life of Syrian refugees and to examine the relationships between mental health disorders and the quality of life of Syrian refugees. Data were collected via face-to-face surveys with 613 adult Syrian refugees in an urban setting. Brislin's methodology was used for translating scale items, involving initial translation, back-translation and review by another professional translator. The study utilised the PTSD Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, Depression Scale and Quality of Life Scale (QOLS). Descriptive, correlational and multivariate regression analysis were applied. Findings of correlational analysis indicate that PTSD levels among Syrian refugees are significantly related to gender, income level and employment. Depression levels are significantly associated with trauma history, healthcare service use, marital status and employment. Anxiety levels are significantly related to gender, trauma history, healthcare service use, employment and income. According to the findings of the regression analyses, the relationships between depression, quality of life and PTSD are complex. Meanwhile, anxiety decreases quality of life and increases PTSD. Quality of life moderates the relationship between depression and PTSD, as well as between anxiety and PTSD. The study concludes that the mental disorder levels of Syrian refugees, in terms of PTSD, depression and anxiety, are linked to their socio-demographic characteristics. These results highlight the importance of social, economic and cultural factors, healthcare and social services and the socio-demographic characteristics of the region where refugees have settled after displacement.

Investigating the Menstrual Health Practices and Needs of Rohingya Women Refugees Living in Malaysia

Investigating the Menstrual Health Practices and Needs of Rohingya Women Refugees Living in Malaysia

The right to the city for urban refugees? Living in the shadow of the camp in Nairobi, Amman and Addis Ababa

This paper investigates the multiple ways in which the lives of urban refugees are impacted by the presence of refugee camps. It builds on a growing body of literature on the urban refugee experience that recognizes the agency exercised in the rejection of the camp. But it also demonstrates how, in countries with an encampment policy, the presence of camps can limit urban refugees’ mobility and their ability to take advantage of all that urban life has to offer. It also highlights the consequences of the choice refugees must make between receiving humanitarian aid in a camp and living unassisted in an urban area. The paper draws on qualitative interviews with refugees in Ethiopia, Kenya and Jordan. It presents conclusions on the inadequacy of the international response, which fails to capitalize on the presence of displaced people in cities, to achieve the supposed policy goal of “self-reliance”.

The scale, forms and distribution of volunteering amongst refugee youth populations in Uganda

AbstractGeographies of volunteering have examined the relationships between people, places and forms of voluntary action, but there has been limited geographical scholarship on the scales, forms and distribution of volunteering amongst specific populations in different settings, particularly in the global South. While in the global North there are some established quantitative data sets, often produced by humanitarian and development organisations, these are largely absent in the South. Where they do exist, they often reflect Western‐centric ideas and concepts, meaning that volunteering behaviours that do not fit Western norms—such as amongst young refugees in the global South—can be excluded, or captured in ways that are partial or unrepresentative. This paper provides an important challenge to existing geographies of volunteering, expanding them through an account of volunteering amongst young refugees in Uganda, and how it articulates with social inequalities within and between the spaces and places where young refugees live. We analyse quantitative data from 3053 young refugees surveyed on their volunteering experiences in rural and urban settings in Uganda. The data provides new evidence of who these volunteers are, beyond their refugee status, why, where and how they conduct their activities, and reveals how these are connected to livelihoods and community development. Through this survey analysis, the paper argues for the need to establish grounded conceptualisations of volunteering that consider the scales, distribution, and various forms of volunteering within specific groups. In doing so, the paper offers a new framework for better understanding the relationships between volunteering and refugee lives through four interlocking factors: place, (im)mobility, income and gender. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for wider geographies of volunteering and research on refugee youth and displaced populations.

튀르키예 아동문학에 나타난 디아스포라 의식: 소설 『전쟁에서 도망친 나무』를 중심으로

For more than a decade, Syria has been embroiled in a civil war that has pitted Syrian rebels against government forces. Syrian refugees who have crossed the border have found shelter in neighboring countries, including Türkiye. As the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, 21st-century Turkish literature has seen the emergence of a significant body of diasporic literature that explores the lives and stories of Syrian refugees. In this study, we wanted to examine various refugee issues, focusing on the novel If I were a bird, I'd fly home, which vividly depicts the pain and inner conflicts that Veşir, a refugee boy who fled from Syria to Türkiye, experiences in diaspora. The novel describes the search for a new identity as a refugee, the lack of basic human needs such as food, discriminatory attitudes towards refugees and economic poverty. In particular, the novel explores the difficult lives of refugees who have been forced to flee their homeland due to civil war and are now in an unfamiliar environment through the unadorned eyes of a child.

Balancing The Principles of Non-Refoulment and National Security in The Protection of Refugee Rights: A Legal and Policy Analysis of Refugee Handling in Australia

This study examines the delicate balance between the principle of non-refoulement and national security in protecting refugee rights, focusing on Australia’s approach to handling refugees. Non-refoulement, a fundamental principle of international refugee law, prohibits the forced return of individuals to countries where they may face persecution. However, ensuring national security while upholding refugee rights poses challenges, particularly in the face of global migration crises and security concerns. Through a case study of Australia’s refugee policies and practices, this research explores the complexities of navigating between these principles, considering legal frameworks, policy implications, humanitarian considerations, and the impact on refugee lives. The findings contribute to understanding the intricate dynamics of balancing humanitarian obligations with national security imperatives in refugee protection efforts. The findings of this research suggest that no balancing act can be justified by international law. Turn-back measures cannot be used to balance Australia’s international obligations to protect refugees. This will lead to violations of the human rights of asylum seekers who will be returned. The act of turning back is hazardous and has the potential to bring threats and persecution to asylum seekers who are returned to their country of arrival, country of origin, or third countries.

Refugee sousveillance: observation and co-optation in The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives

Narratives are a matter of life and death for refugee subjects in the US. They are managed through a juridico-political process called Refugee Status Determination (RSD). Under the surveillant gaze of RSD, refugee subjects are forced to narrativize their lives using the language of persecution in exchange for state protection. This article contributes to critical refugee studies (CRS) scholarship which challenges the dehumanizing impacts of RSD’s surveillant gaze. Extending Vinh Nguyen’s concept of refugeetude, I develop a framework for refugee sousveillance. I define refugee sousveillance as the co-optation of refugee narratives such that they consciously defy the juridico-political surveillance of RSD towards a creative, open, coalitional future with other refugee subjects and marginalized groups. Refugee sousveillance applies bell hooks’ oppositional gaze (1992) and Browne’s (2015) dark sousveillance to refugeetude. Identifying a noteworthy collection of essays written by a coalition of elite refugee writers, I provide examples of refugee sousveillance as both process and product.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Refugees: A Questionnaire-Based Study.

The issue of oral health problems among refugees, not only during their journey but also once they arrive at their destination, is a current one. This study aimed to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of refugees, with the intention of highlighting a potential need for improved education and easier access to dental care. A questionnaire based on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was distributed via hyperlink on social media, targeting individuals with a refugee background to collect data on their OHRQoL. A total of 401 participants completed the questionnaire. The median OHIP score for all participants was 8 (IQR 2-17) out of a maximum of 56, with 0 representing the best possible OHRQoL. The median OHIP score was 6 (IQR 2-16) for male and 8 (IQR 2-18) for female participants. A comparison of the OHIP score from this study with reference values from non-refugee populations shows an elevated score and, thus, a lower oral quality of life. The findings of this study indicate a clear need for enhanced access to dental care for refugees, coupled with an educational initiative aimed at fostering an appreciation of the importance of daily dental hygiene.

Flight-related determinants of health-related quality of life of asylum seekers and refugees in Germany: a longitudinal study based on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

BackgroundGermany played a key role as receiving country during the so-called refugee and displacement crisis with about 5 million asylum seekers arriving in the EU between 2014 and 2020. It is well known that asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs) have a high burden of disease and are particularly prone to mental disorders such as trauma, stress-related and affective disorders. Not much is known about the determinants of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) among ASRs, especially in the context of the flight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the associations between flight-related characteristics and HrQoL of ASRs in Germany.MethodsThe sample of this study was based on five consecutive waves of the Survey of Refugees samples of the German Socio-Economic Panel (n = 8015; 14,314 observations). Mental and physical HrQoL was measured using the mental (MCS) and physical (PCS) component summary scores of the SF-12v2. Associations between flight-related characteristics and HrQoL were examined using multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions.ResultsThe different countries of birth were associated with varying MCS and PCS scores. The MCS and PCS scores were lower among ASRs with an economic situation below average in their countries of origin. Persecution, discrimination, and poor living conditions as reasons for leaving the county were associated with lower MCS scores. ASRs who were dissatisfied with their own living situation and who were discriminated often due to their origin had both lower MCS and PCS scores. Not feeling welcome in Germany and missing people from one’s country of origin were both associated with lower MCS scores. No worries about not being able to stay in Germany or not being able to return to one’s country of origin were both associated with higher MCS scores.ConclusionsThe economic situation in the country of origin and the presence of persecution, discrimination, and/or poor living conditions as reason for flight may be pre-flight-related determinants of HrQoL of ASRs in Germany. Possible post-flight-related determinants can be the residence status, the satisfaction with one’s living situation, discrimination due to one’s origin and a feeling of missing people from one’s country of origin. With regard to those determinants, the clarity about the residence status, reducing racial discrimination and the mourning of flight-related circumstances must be ensured.

Halil Altındere’s Space Refugee: Martian Modernism, Syrian Resettlement, and Life After Climate Change

Halil Altındere proposes in his video Space Refugee (2016) that Syrian refugees resettle on Mars to escape the dire environmental and political circumstances of Earth. Through a visual analysis of the Martian landscapes and built environments featured in Altındere’s video, I examine how the artist evokes the overlapping visual languages and rhetorical devices used to frame the construction of real and imagined cities in the UAE and on Mars. I argue that Altındere’s Martian landscape brings together features of Gulf modernism in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with elements of historical Islamicate architectures to imagine a Martian modernism that subverts repressive conditions on earth and offers social transformation. I theorize and contextualize Altındere’s vision of a utopian Martian life for Syrian refugees through the framework of Martian modernism. This critical lens elucidates how the visual features, living conditions, and ideological motivations of the future imagined in Space Refugee are shaped by and respond to intersecting histories of modernity, coloniality, architectural development, extraterrestrial exploration, science fiction, and climate change.

The colonial face of ‘housing’ refugees: the construction of the racialised subject within a necropolitical infrastructure

The incredible mobilisation to welcome Ukrainian refugees following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 demonstrated how housing is an affective sociomaterial infrastructure. In cruel contrast, such mobilisation also exposed the inherently racist and colonial face of accommodating refugees and migrants, and the structural inequalities that racial capitalism continues to reproduce. Drawing reflections across several geographies and temporalities through illustrative vignettes, this paper begs the questions under what conditions do we accept that some people are housed, others not? What kind of power structures allow certain bodies to be welcomed? This paper borrows from postcolonial, black and critical theory to examine refugee housing through the lens of necropolitical infrastructure. It connects Mbembe’s notion of necropower with Power and Mee’s notion of housing as infrastructure of care, and filters this through reflections across Calais, Brescia and Athens, to illustrate the bio- and necropolitical side of the refugee housing infrastructure in Europe. The paper ultimately argues that refugee housing, because it is an infrastructure and because it is part of the broader extractive and exploitative system of (humanitarian) care, is deeply imbricated in the production of racialised subjects. Specifically, it is complicit with the extraction, (re)incorporation, abandonment and slow death of Black and Brown refugee lives.

The economic lives of refugees

The economic lives of refugees are often viewed as relatively homogeneous, and sources of within-group variation remain largely unexplored. We describe the socio-economic diversity of refugees in one particular region: East Africa. Drawing upon first-hand quantitative and qualitative data collected in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia (n = 8,996), the article systematically compares 12 refugee subpopulations living in seven refugee camps and the three capital cities. In order to identify sources of variation, we examine three main questions: (1) What variation is there in socio-economic outcomes? (2) What strategies and resources do refugees rely upon, and how do these vary? (3) How are opportunities and constraints shaped by differences in institutions and identity? Overall, we show that, although the economic lives of refugees have some distinguishing and common features, they are also heterogeneous by host country, urban/camp context, nationality, and household. We explain why describing and understanding sources of within-group variation matters for research and policy.