The Refugees in Towns project is pleased to publish this case report as part of its Race and Refugees research program. Both the Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA case reports explore the historical, cultural, and political contexts in addition to the lived experiences of refugees grappling with the U.S. construction of race. Both reports have been adapted into StoryMaps, allowing readers to interactively explore Mobile and Pittsburgh while showcasing RIT's reflexive and localized methodology. View the StoryMaps here: Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Refugees
Makhanda, South Africa 2022
Barnabas Muvhuti is one of approximately 180,000 holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP). In November 2021, the South African government announced it would not renew the ZEP at the end of 2021, instead giving Zimbabweans who held a ZEP a ‘grace period’ of one year to apply for mainstream permits from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The decision caught us unawares and renewed or reinforced our sense of limbo and instability. In this article, Barnabas reflects on the situation and describe the mixed reactions of fellow Zimbabweans.
Kampala, Uganda
Personal relationships and understanding between refugees and their hosts can often be the basis for sustainable integration of refugees. In this report, author Nyende Keith Mark discusses an arts-oriented project in Kampala which brought together refugee artists living in Nakivale settlement and Ugandan artists to build relationships and share skills, creating dialogue between refugees and hosts and aiding in refugee integration.
San Miguel, El Salvador
San Miguel, El Salvador is a hub for migrants from across the region. And, often times, it is a shared faith, namely Catholicism and Protestantism, that links newcomers and locals together. In this article, Jocsan Blanco and Fernanda Escobar explore how churches go beyond spiritual support in aiding migrants—from helping them meet basic needs, find jobs, feel part of a supportive social network, and more—a testament to the power of faith organizations in facilitating migrants’ social integration.
Çarşamba, Bursa, Turkey
Zahed Mukayed, a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul, and Ezgi Irgil, a Turkish PhD student living in Sweden, discuss their research with Syrian refugees in Ezgi’s hometown of Bursa. They argue that a lack of Turkish government action on settlement or resettlement for refugees creates distrust and uncertainty. This disrupts everyday life, as Syrian parents worry about the future of their children should they remain in Turkey or return to Syria. This report focuses on three main concerns for Syrian children: potential statelessness, loss of the Arabic language, and racism.