Doctoral Dissertation Research: Economic Effects of Refugee Resettlement

Cuny Graduate School University Center, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The research supported by this award asks: how are agrarian regions that border conflict-ridden countries affected by forced migration? Social scientists increasingly recognize that displacement is often long-term. Therefore, policy makers must pursue alternatives to temporary refugee camps. But to do this effectively, policy makers need more information about how displaced populations affect the economic and social conditions of the regions where they settle. Long-distance migrations to Europe have garnered recent headlines, but refugees more typically flee to nearby countries, often to regions where they or their kin have previous social relationships. As governments negotiate the distribution of responsibility for hosting these displaced populations, finding sustainable and security-appropriate solutions to today's worldwide migration crisis has become a matter of concern everywhere, including in the United States. The research will be conducted by City University of New York Graduate Center anthropology doctoral candidate, China Sajadian, advised by Dr. Mandana Limbert. Sajadian will undertake 12 months of research in Lebanon because Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Over one-quarter of Lebanon's population is comprised of displaced Syrians, which makes the effects of forced migration there appropriately visible for targeted data collection and analysis. Sajadian will collect data with two primary methods. To document everyday labor practices and the specific effects of refugee settlement, she will conduct ethnographic research, including observation and interviews, among a stratified sample of 250 farmworkers in villages adjacent to the Syrian-Lebanese border. She also will pursue archival research about the history of land tenure, labor, and migration in the region. Findings from this research will inform policy makers about how loss of cross-border mobility for seasonal farmworkers reconfigures social and economic relations in the country of settlement. Knowledge of these processes will help policy makers develop approaches for dealing with refugees that are attentive to the specific predicaments, livelihood needs, and security challenges of borderland regions. Findings from the research also will be disseminated through academic publications and conference presentations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.