Migration Studies Commons^™

Mistakes In Identity: Sexual Orientation And Credibility In The Asylum Process, Michael Carl Budd

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the prejudice that exists on the part of decision-makers responsible for determining refugee status and adjudicating asylum claims in jurisdictions that accept claims based on sexual orientation. An analysis of case law from both common law and civil law jurisdictions uncovers the negative impact of judicial stereotypes about sexuality on refugees and asylum-seekers. It follows the increasing importance placed on proving the genuineness of the claimants' professed sexual identity that has coincided with an increased emphasis on credibility, a trend that has heightened the impact of decision-makers' biases regarding sexuality. In addition to analyzing case law, the …

Diasporas From States In Crisis: A Case Study Of The Zimbabwean Diaspora And Its Role In The Homeland, Leigh Ann Detwiler

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Diasporas are important transnational actors with significant potential to influence their homeland. However, when crisis drives migration, certain limitations and opportunities are created, affecting their role in their homeland. The Zimbabwean diaspora provides an interesting case study for a diaspora from a state in crisis since nearly one-quarter of its population lives outside its borders. In a crisis characterized by political oppression, near economic collapse, and a breakdown of social institutions, one of the population's few options for survival has been migration. The diaspora that has resulted has played a political, economic and social role in Zimbabwe, but the crisis …

Organizing From The Maquiladoras To The University: Dialogue And Reflections Among Women Migrant And Maquiladora Workers In Mexico, Evelyn Encalada Grez

International Migration Research Centre

n February researchers from the International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) participated in “the First Forum on International Migration and Transnational Studies” hosted by the “Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla” (BUAP) in the capital of the state of Puebla in Mexico. This forum was part of a joint initiative with the centre through a Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) “North American Research Linkages” grant. The forum convened researchers from all over Mexico, as well as Europe, Canada and the United States, to discuss points of interest in the ample field of transnational migration studies.

The IMRC sponsored a …

No. 23: Labour Migration Trends And Policies In Southern Africa, Jonathan Crush, Vincent Williams

Southern African Migration Programme

Since 1990, there have been major changes to longstanding patterns of intra-regional labour migration within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). At the same time, new channels of migration to and from the region have opened. Labour migration is now more voluminous, dynamic and complex than it has ever been. This presents policy-makers with considerable opportunities and challenges. In order to understand the exact nature of these challenges, it is important to have a good grasp of current labour migration characteristics and trends. Unfortunately, reliable, accurate and comprehensive data on labour migration is not available. The quality and currency of …

Migration, Remittances And Gender-Responsive Local Development: Executive Summaries. Case Studies: Albania, The Dominican Republic, Lesotho, Morocco, The Philippines And Senegal, Alison J. Petrozziello, Elisabeth Robert

Southern African Migration Programme

The complex links between globalization and development have made contemporary migration a key area of investigation. It is estimated that over 200 million women and men have left their countries of origin to live and work abroad. Occurring simultaneously are equally intensive internal movements, primarily from rural to urban areas. Demographically, many country-specific flows have changed, both in terms of numbers and composition by sex. Studies on the feminization of migration2 have revealed women’s significant role and impact as actors in the migration process. Despite the rapid increase in the volume and diversity of knowledge on the migration-development nexus, research …

No. 53: Migration-Induced Hiv And Aids In Rural Mozambique And Swaziland, Jonathan Crush, Inês Raimundo, Hamilton Simelane, Bonaventura Cau, David Dorey

Southern African Migration Programme

South Africa’s gold mining workforce has the highest prevalence rates of tuberculosis and HIV infection of any industrial sector in the country. The contract migrant labour system, which has long outlived apartheid, is responsible for this unacceptable situation. The spread of HIV to rural communities in Southern Africa is not well understood. The accepted wisdom is that migrants leave for the mines, engage in high-risk behaviour, contract the virus and return to infect their rural partners. This model fails to deal with the phenomenon of rural-rural transmission and cases of HIV discordance (when the female migrant is infected and the …

No. 52: Migration, Remittances And ‘Development’ In Lesotho, Jonathan Crush, Belinda Dodson, John Gay, Thuso Green, Clement Leduka

Southern African Migration Programme

Lesotho is one of the most migration dependent countries in the world. Migrant remittances are the country’s major source of foreign exchange, accounting for 25% of GDP in 2006. Lesotho is also one of the poorest countries in the world due to high domestic unemployment, declining agricultural production, falling life expectancy, rising child mortality and half the population living below the poverty line. The majority of households and rural communities are dependent on remittances for their livelihood. Households without access to migrant remittances are significantly worse off than those that do have such access.

Since 1990, patterns of migration from …

Lebanon: A Country Of Emigration And Immigration, Paul Tabar

Faculty Journal Articles

Before describing the patterns of migration to and from Lebanon, it is critical to lay out the geographical boundaries of the area which constitutes this paper’s focus. Mount Lebanon refers to a primary source of early emigration that existed between 1870 and 1920. Present day Lebanon, which was founded in 1920 and became independent in 1943, is dealt with later in the paper. Lebanese emigration started in Mount Lebanon, which included the major coastal cities of Jounieh and Byblos – but not Beirut. To the north, Mount Lebanon included neither Tripoli nor Akkar. The Beqaa Valley and South Lebanon (including …

Traitor In Our Midst: Cultural Variations In Japanese Vs. Oklahoman Public Discourse On Domestic Terrorism In The Spring Of 1995, Carl W. Roberts, Yong Wang

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

When “one of our own” commits mass murder, mechanisms that sustain our social order are opened to question. Based on two samples of newspaper editorials written in 1995 ‐ either after the poison gas attack in the Tokyo subway or after the Oklahoma City bombing ‐ evidence is provided that Japanese editorialists advised strategies for retaining order, whereas Oklahoman authors endorsed ones for reestablishing it. In accordance with Simmel’s distinction between faithfulness and gratitude as social forms, Japanese advised faithful continuation of wholesome interactions with their terrorists, whereas Oklahomans expressed gratitude for rescue workers’ assistance. We apply modality analysis to …

Acculturation Of Russian Refugee Adolescents: The Life Domain Of Peer Relationships, Andrew A. Morozov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover the meaning of acculturation as experienced by the Russian refugee adolescents in the domain of peer relationships. This qualitative study implemented a purposeful sampling strategy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 refugee adolescents from Russia (3 ethnic Russians and 9 Meskhetian Turks), male and female, aged 15-18, who resided in Denver, Colorado. Applying Moustakas's (1994) phenomenology method of analysis, 8 main themes emerged. The essence of the phenomenon can be described in terms of the refugee adolescents' need for self-worth and belongingness. Belongingness is understood as identification with and acceptance by …

Socioeconomic Rights Of Refugees: The Case Of Palestinian Refugees In Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, And Syria, Asem Khalil

Faculty Journal Articles

This paper is a contribution to discussions on the possible impact of global crises, especially the current financial crisis, on the economic and social rights of Palestinian refugees in host Arab countries. This paper will be limited to discussing the case of Palestinian refugees in Arab states that host the majority of Palestinian refugees (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria Palestinian refugees constitute a unique case study. ), but recognizes that the impact of such crises reaches beyond refugees, to citizens and other legal and illegal migrants.

Between Return And Resettlement: The Formation Of Iraqi Refugee ‘Communities’ In Cairo And Amman, Emilie K. B. Minnick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether or not there is community formation among Iraqi refugees living in Amman, Jordan and Cairo, Egypt. These two countries were chosen as case studies because they offer an opportunity to analyze how different host country conditions in the Global South have an impact on the process of community formation. While Egypt is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and Jordan is not, access to rights in both countries is similarly restrictive. Furthermore, whereas there has been a long history of forced migration from Iraq to Jordan and Iraqi social networks …

Xenophobia: The Consequences Of Being A Zimbabwean In South Africa, Philip Edward Culbertson

Theses and Dissertations

This paper seeks to explain and describe the xenophobia and xenophobic attacks of Zimbabwean refugees and migrants in South Africa. The political and social instability in Zimbabwe has led to mass exodus of Zimbabweans in search of stability and a means to survive. Many of these Zimbabweans have sought opportunity and refuge in South Africa only to be met with hurdles that metastasized into xenophobia. Research was done on the target population of Zimbabweans in Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg, along with interviews conducted through Medicines Sans Frontiers, and active players in the civil society in Cape Town.

Livelihoods And Family Formation Among Eritrean Refugees In Cairo, Erin A. Ajygin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses data gathered from a survey conducted in November and December of 2009 to provide an overview of the demographic profile and livelihoods strategies of a sample of Eritrean refugees in Cairo. Study results revealed that the Eritreans surveyed were predominantly single, childless and living in Cairo without family. While much of the existing literature on refugee livelihoods has focused on refugees living in camp settings and/or on refugees’ roles as spouses and parents, this study examined the strategies engaged by a group of single, urban refugees. Using a livelihoods framework comprised of capabilities, assets and activities, survey …