Refugee Studies Centre Report 2003 - 2005 Contents Director’s Foreword 1 Compiled by Paul Ryder Designed and produced Current Research 2-7 by Corinne Owen Printed by LDI Teaching 8-9 Cover Photo: Afghanistan. Children in Nawabad refugee Library 10 camp sitting on an abandoned Forced Migration Online 11 tank. Across Afghanistan, the detritus of war has become a Publications 12-14 plaything for generations of children. (Martin Adler/Panos Institutional Links 15 Pictures) Conferences & Seminars 16-17 Refugee Studies Centre Department of International Staff Publications 18-19 Development (QEH) Staff Activities 20-21 University of Oxford 3 Mansfield Road Visiting Fellows 22 Oxford, OX1 3TB United Kingdom Research Students 23 Tel: +44 (0)1865 270722 Fax: +44 (0)1865 270721 Accounts 24 Email: [email protected] Website: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk Staff Inside back cover Funders Back cover The Refugee Studies Centre understanding the experiences helping to strengthen their (RSC) was established in 1982 of forced migration from capacity to develop their own it is part of the University the point of view of affected research agendas and teaching of Oxford’s Department of peoples. courses. International Development. It has since won an international Teaching: to provide taught reputation as the leading and research degrees and other Queen’s Anniversary Prize multidisciplinary centre for courses to students, academics, In 2002 the RSC was awarded research and teaching on the policy makers and practitioners a Queen’s Anniversary Prize causes and consequences of in the field of forced migration. for Higher and Further forced migration. Its philosophy Education in recognition of is to combine world-class Dissemination: to present its pioneering research and academic research with a documentation and information innovative education, training commitment to improving the for researchers, practitioners and outreach programmes. The lives and situations for some of and the public and to develop prize honours institutions that the world’s most disadvantaged fora for the discussion of clearly demonstrate the wider people. Its major areas of work research and policy issues benefits of their work. are: affecting refugees and other forced migrants. Research: to carry out multidisciplinary research International Cooperation including policy-relevant and Partnerships: to work work on the causes and alongside academic institutions consequences of forced and networks focusing on migration with an emphasis on issues of forced migration, Director’s Foreword he face of forced migration two years in research, teaching, is changing fast. The number practitioner training, publications Tof recognised refugees and documentation. I think it is worldwide has fallen to 9.2 million an impressive record, and yet it is – the lowest level for over 20 a very modest contribution when years. Applications for asylum in set against the enormity of human industrialised countries went down rights violations and persecution in to 336,000 in 2005. the modern world. Does this mean that the The Centre has grown over the last international community is two years, with new staff, projects succeeding in its efforts to limit and other activities. This is only violent conflict and displacement? possible because of the generous Unfortunately not. There are nearly support of many donors – both 24 million internally displaced individuals and organisations persons, forced to move within – who are listed at the end of the national boundaries, in over 50 Report. We acknowledge their countries. Two-thirds of the world’s contribution gratefully. In 2006 refugees are in situations of long- we hope to add a new permanent Professor Stephen Castles. (John Bowerman) term exile. In many places whole post in International Human generations have known nothing Rights and Refugee Law, thanks to position in Oxford University’s new other than camps, deprivation and generous donations. International Migration Institute hopelessness. (IMI). This does not mean a change An important milestone is the of direction, since IMI will work What has changed is that the rich agreement between the RSC closely with the RSC. I wish the countries have been increasingly and the UK Department for incoming Director and successful in preventing refugees International Development the RSC every success in their from crossing borders. Forced to embark on a five-year crucial tasks. migrants remain isolated and partnership under the Conflict and forgotten, the responsibility of Humanitarian Fund. This will help poor countries and communities make RSC research more accessible that lack the resources to provide to policy makers and civil society effective support. through a Policy Briefing Series and policy workshops. It will Another change is that natural allow our multilingual practitioner Professor Stephen Castles disasters – like the Asian tsunami journal Forced Migration Review Professor of Migration and of 2004 and the Pakistan and our innovative web portal Refugee Studies, Director of RSC earthquake of 2005 – seem to be Forced Migration Online to expand more frequent and devastating their dissemination activities, than in the past. Humanitarian and it will provide support for organisations must continue to partnerships with researchers and apply their relief expertise in new practitioners in regions affected by and challenging situations. Often conflict and forced migration. it is conflict-affected populations – like in Aceh, Sri Lanka and The 25th Anniversary of the RSC’s Kashmir – that bear the brunt of foundation is fast approaching. these catastrophes. To mark the occasion a series of exciting events is already being The work of the Refugee Studies planned for 2007. While reflecting Centre is thus more important on the achievements of the Centre than ever. The Centre analyses to date, a critical eye will continue the causes and consequences to focus on future challenges and of forced migration and works emerging questions. with practitioners, civil society and official agencies to find Finally, after over five years as solutions. This Report summarises Director of the RSC, I will soon our achievements over the last be moving on to a research 1 Current Research Research Approach The RSC carries out multidisciplinary research including policy-relevant work on the causes and consequences of forced migration. The RSC’s approach embraces the following three broad areas as priorities for investigation: •Forced migration, global economy and governance •The experience and management of displacement •Institutional and normative responses to forced migration These areas are described in greater detail below, together with Acehnese tsunami survivors at a make-shift roadside camp in Batee Geulungku (Bireuen).(E-L Headman) brief descriptions of recent and ongoing projects which fall into Conflict, violence and displacement both from National Institute for each category. The three areas in Southeast Asia Working Life and the Department of are neither mutually exclusive nor Andrew W Mellon Foundation, Ethnic Studies, Linköping University, exhaustive. Each includes a variety January 2004 – June 2006, Dr Eva- Sweden, examines the simultaneous of disciplinary approaches and Lotta Hedman ‘dual crises’ of European societies: geographical foci and incorporates immigration and development cross-cutting themes such as This project involves a series of of multicultural societies, and the workshops on conflict, violence and declining capacity of the welfare state gender and ethnicity. The RSC displacement in Southeast Asia. These to maintain social equity in the face continues to attach particular include events focusing on Aceh, of global and regional integration. importance to understanding Indonesia during martial law and on The research links two discourses: forced migration from the point of the southern Philippines and southern immigration and ethnic relations and view of affected peoples. Thailand. Workshops focusing on the political economy of the welfare Burma and Papua, Indonesia will take state. An assessment of the past place in 2006. The workshops provide experience of the United States will Forced Migration, Global a forum for academics, practitioners be compared with developments in Economy and Governance and policy makers to exchange Europe using country case studies perspectives and expertise and to and highlighting the growing focus analysis and debate. The aim is significance of the European Union. This area involves research on to explore obstacles and opportunities The findings have been published the political, economic and social for the resolution of these conflicts. by Oxford University Press as a book contexts which are significant in In its second phase, the project will entitled: Migration, Citizenship and the precipitating forced migration involve the preparation of working European Welfare State: a European and in shaping responses by papers and an edited volume to focus Dilemma. various actors. These include on the dynamics of conflict, violence historical linkages (such as colonial and displacement in Southeast Asia Mobile peoples and conservation or post-colonial relationships); since the end of the Cold War. September 1999 – on-going, Dr Dawn demographic factors; inequality Chatty and poverty; societal structures Migration, citizenship and the welfare state: a European dilemma Conceptualisations of biodiversity and social relationships; ethnic and January 1997 – December 2005, Prof often prioritise plants and animals.