Doctoral Dissertation Research: Resource Mobilization and Network Formation within Forced Migrant Communities

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

This project, which trains a graduate student in methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, explores network formation and survival strategies among forced migrant populations. Forced migrants who move within and across national borders as a result of events such as conflict, natural or environmental disasters, and famine are a particularly vulnerable part of the world's population. Often living in the margins of their new societies, most live in poverty and face a difficult future. Throughout the U.S., forced migrants are resettled into diverse places but often the specific kinds of challenges they face through the resettlement process are not well recognized. A better understanding of how forced migrants experience displacement and what resources they rely on to secure livelihoods and improve their well-being is critical for developing programs and policies that will improve the outcomes of resettlement efforts and help to build strong communities both in and beyond the U.S. Findings will be disseminated to aid organizations that explore and manage the causes, consequences, and complexities of forced migration. The research also fosters international scientific cooperation, and will broaden participation of an underrepresented group in the sciences. Daniel Joseph, under the supervision of Dr. Kristin Monroe of the University of Kentucky, will examine what strategies are deployed by displaced persons, facing statelessness and precarious social and economic conditions, to mobilize resources within and across their communities. This research is based in Anse-à-Pitres, a Haitian city along the border with the Dominican Republic where thousands of displaced people currently live in makeshift camps. These people, illegal Haitian migrants and Dominicans born of undocumented Haitian descent, were forced from the Dominican Republic in August 2015. The researcher will conduct participant observation and semi-structured interviews over a period of 12 months in different locations including camps, churches, market places, public gatherings, and food distribution sites. Relations with the displaced people and the establishment of networks will be facilitated through coordinating with an on-site relief organization. This research will contribute to theories of agency and conceptualizations of citizenship beyond the juridico-legal framework. Furthermore, insights from this research will help to develop programs and policies aimed at the empowerment of refugees and internally displaced persons.