Doctoral Dissertation Research: Citizenship and the Geopolitics of Healthcare Access in the American South

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation project will examine the types of geopolitical barriers new migrants face while accessing and obtaining healthcare in the U.S. South. This study goes beyond the usual studies of healthcare access as it analyzes actual healthcare experiences, thereby contributing to new health geography by focusing on how migrants experience healthcare access. This study also contributes to migration research that examines the region of the U.S. South as it is currently being shaped by new migration. Combining archival research, participant observation, interviews, and focus groups, this project answers a set of questions that address the barriers that exist for migrant access to healthcare, how these barriers have been created, and the role that struggling with these barriers plays in the shaping of citizenship in the U.S. Findings from this project will be made available via a research report as the results will be of interest to healthcare providers, advocates, as well as policymakers. Results from this research will be included in undergraduate teaching. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Award, this project will provide support to enable a promising student to establish an independent research career.