The author of the Harare report’s interest in return migration to her homeland, Zimbabwe, stemmed from her desire to return home, knowledge of other people trickling back, and research that showed that most migrants have a desire to return home. The yearning for return increased after the “peaceful coup” in November 2017 when Robert Mugabe, president since independence in 1980, was ousted, and Zimbabweans thought the ongoing violence and economic chaos would abate and conditions would improve. In this report, the author explores voluntary return to Zimbabwe, the reasons people return, returnees’ impact on the city of Harare, and their experiences of reintegration through rediscovering their culture, recreating social ties, accessing jobs and citizenship, and developing a sense of belonging again.
Case Report
New Britain, Connecticut, USA
New Britain, Connecticut has a long history of immigration. This report focuses on the experiences of newly arrived Arabic-speaking immigrants and refugees from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and Morocco. The Arab population of New Britain has increased faster than other migrant populations over the last eight years, from 161 in 2010 to 733 in 2017. As of December 2018, there were approximately 260 Arabic-speaking families living in New Britain.
Albany Park, Chicago, USA
Amidst rhetorical headlines about refugees and borders in the United States, this report takes a step back to take the long view of how immigrants in a suburb of Chicago have adapted to American society, and adapted the neighborhood of Albany Park, introducing new medical centers, shops, and a university over the course of generations. The author was born in Syria, but as a long-time resident of Chicago and volunteer at a refugee resettlement agency, offers her own perspectives on the neighborhood’s successes integrating generations of new Americans.
Athens, Greece
Amidst an economic crisis, Greece’s cities found themselves host to thousands of refugees stuck in transit along the Balkans Route on their way to Northern Europe. This case study attempts to capture perceptions of integration of refugees, migrants, and the host population on how the city has been transformed by immigration, and how it has succeeded and struggled to transition from transit city to de facto host. The findings are the result of a collective effort between three co-authors, a Greek journalist and two refugees living in Greece, one from Syria and the other from Iran.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Fleeing persecution, discrimination, and lack of economic opportunities, thousands of Eritrean, Sudanese, and other sub-Saharan African asylum seekers arrived in Israel’s cities after making a dangerous crossing through Egypt’s Sinai desert. Despite exclusionary national policies and intense anti-migrant rhetoric at the national level in Israel, South Tel Aviv became a bastion of inclusion and diversity. Levinsky Park, the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, and other sites became epicenters of migrant integration, activism, and volunteerism. The report’s authors bring two unique perspectives: one is a male Sudanese asylum seeker, and the other is a female Jewish immigrant to Israel who grew up in the UK.