The Refugees in Towns project is pleased to publish this case report as part of its Race and Refugees research program. Both the Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA case reports explore the historical, cultural, and political contexts in addition to the lived experiences of refugees grappling with the U.S. construction of race. Both reports have been adapted into StoryMaps, allowing readers to interactively explore Mobile and Pittsburgh while showcasing RIT's reflexive and localized methodology. View the StoryMaps here: Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
integration
Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
In this gorgeously written piece, Joseph Zorokong teases out the critical role more established immigrant communities have in supporting newcomers, reflecting on his family’s own refugee experience in Lowell, Massachusetts. In this diverse city, Zorokong examines the small but growing African community, their unique challenges in reaching resources and integration, and the process through which they tend their dual identities as immigrants and Americans.
Çarşamba, Bursa, Turkey
Zahed Mukayed, a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul, and Ezgi Irgil, a Turkish PhD student living in Sweden, discuss their research with Syrian refugees in Ezgi’s hometown of Bursa. They argue that a lack of Turkish government action on settlement or resettlement for refugees creates distrust and uncertainty. This disrupts everyday life, as Syrian parents worry about the future of their children should they remain in Turkey or return to Syria. This report focuses on three main concerns for Syrian children: potential statelessness, loss of the Arabic language, and racism.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
This report examines the vulnerabilities of urban refugees, and the difficulties they encounter in accessing basic services in the city. It considers their integration with the Tanzanian urban poor who they live side by side in the informal settlements of the city. It also considers what is next for Tanzania in the wake of a growing displacement crisis in the Central and East African regions, and considers recommendations that could be enacted to improve the lives of the urban refugees of Dar es Salaam.