TRAFIG at the Geographies' conference in Greece

On 26 November 2022, colleagues from the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki organized a thematic panel at the 3-day national Conference “Crises, Resistances, Prospects” at Harokopio University in Athens... Read more

Around Refugee Week 2022, TRAFIG researchers met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to compare and discuss insights from empirial research and to disseminate key research findings to various stakeholders.

On 23 June, the Faculty of Law of Addis Ababa University organized a conference in the framework of World Refugee Week. The conference ‘Everyone has the right to seek safety - The role of academia in the protection of refugees’ was attended by policy makers, practitioners, academics, and refugees. Fekadu Adugna and Markus Rudolf presented key findings of their joint TRAFIG research in Ethiopia. (see the conference program)

From 22-24 June, TRAFIG team members Fekadu Tufa, Mulu Getachew and Desalegn Amsalu (AAU, Ethiopia), Markus Rudolf (BICC) and Carolien Jacobs (Leiden University) organiz... Read more

Presentations of TRAFIG colleagues at the 19th IMISCOE conference

From 29th June - 1st July, the European network of migration researchers IMISCOE will hold its (hybrid) conference in Oslo (more here).

The conference theme "Migration and Time: Temporalities of Mobility, Governance, and Resistance" fits very well to the interests and foci of our TRAFIG project. 'Protracted displacement' can indeed be understood as a social phenomenon that is shaped by quite specific spatial and temporal politics. While movements of refugees and IDPs can hardly be prevented, governments of (potential) receiving states try to manage displaced populations though particular spatial strategies (border enforcement, encampment, etc.) and through temporal strategies (short-term humanitarian support, mid-te... Read more

“Nothing is more permanent than the temporary?” Understanding protracted displacement and people’s own responses

May 3, 2022, Brussels

Background

For the past three years, the Transnational Figurations of Displacement (TRAFIG) project has investigated long-lasting displacement situations in Africa, Asia, and Europe and analysed options to improve displaced peoples’ lives by enhancing their chances of building sustainable futures. Undertaking more than 2,700 interviews with displaced people, policymakers, and practitioners in 11 countries, TRAFIG has studied the reasons why people end up in protracted displacement situations and what coping strategies they use, identifying possible courses of action for policymakers and solutions that are better tailored to the needs and capacities... Read more

On 22 April, an important dissemination and restitution event was held in Rome, one of the key sites for TRAFIG's Italian fieldwork see TRAFIG working paper 9.

Under the title, "Il mio posto è qui? Vivere da rifugiati in Italia" (Is my place here? Living in Italy as refugees), the homonymous documentary, which was produced by the film director Andrea Fantino and the FIERI team during empirical field work in 2021 was screened for one of the first times. The world première of the documentary was in Torino in November 2021 at the Film Festival "Crocevia du Sguardi".

The venue chosen for the film screening was very meaningful: Spin Time Labs is a large squat in the centre of Rome where hundreds of persons, including several migrants and refugees live with their families. Two of... Read more

People first: New solutions to the challenge of displacement

Members of the TRAFIG team participated in the Global Solutions Summit , a forum for transforming research-based insights into policy recommendations for the G7/G20, on 28 and 29 March. Benjamin Etzold (BICC), Martin Wagner and Caitlin Katsiaficas (both ICMPD) have joint the task force "International cooperation for the global common good" of the Think7, a group of experts and think tanks who are providing advice to Germany's G7 presidency.

Based on insights directly derived from our TRAFIG research, they wrote a policy brief, which they introduced at the Global Solutions Summit in a virtual T7 task force work session on 29.03. at 16:00 and at the Think 7 Summit on 23-24 May in Berlin.

You can access a recording of... Read more

Background

A number of EU-funded Horizon 2020 research and innovation projects focus on migration and asylum, issues which remain at the top of the agenda for European policymakers and publics alike. In this new webinar series, we join forces to expand our collective knowledge base on some of today’s most pressing dynamics, including protracted displacement, the notion of crisis in the field of migration and asylum, internal displacement, refugee-driven solutions, and alternatives to current migration governance. The series aims to facilitate evidence-based discussions and action at multiple levels.

TRAFIG, ADMIGOV, MAGYC, and MIGNEX are co-organizing the webinar series. We invite other H2020 projects in the field of migration and displacement research to contribute as well. Please contact us, if you wish to provide insights from your project. Read more

On 18/19 March 2022, colleagues involved in the TRAFIG project contribute to Indiana University’s “In Dialogue” Symposium, which focusses on transnational dynamics and repercussions of the movement of displaced peoples between Africa and Europe. In a session on “Constrained transnationalism: Experiences of displacement and ongoing limbo between Africa and Europe” Catherina Wilson (Leiden University), Janemary Ruhundwa (Dignity Kwanza), Benjamin Etzold (BICC), Markus Rudolf (BICC), Simone Christ (formerly BICC) and Pietro Cingolani (FIERI) will share insights from TRAFIG research in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

On 14 March 2022, TRAFIG partner organisation Leiden University will organise a workshop (in person) about findings from the TRAFIG research on displacement in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was conducted together with DIGNITY Kwanza and KUTAFITI as local partners. Next to the presentation and discussion of findings, the workshop will be used to present and play the game "the DIGNITY Kwanza method", which was developed in the context of TRAFIG and is based on the stories of Congolese urban refugees living in Dar es Salaam.

Find out more about the workshop and the game here.

Details:

When? Monday, 14 March, 14-16.00h, followed by drinks

Where? Leiden Law School, Steenschuur 25, room B0.31

By whom? Jochem Scheelings (former MA African Studies)... Read more

In order to provide a platform for local discussion on protracted displacement in Tanzania, a stakeholder workshop was organized in Dar es Salaam on 18 and 19 November 2021 by DIGNITY Kwanza in partnership with Leiden University and BICC.

The workshop’s overall aim was to share insights into how connectivity and mobility can help to redesign (policy) solutions for protracted displacement - and to create a space for open discussion in which different stakeholders could share their experiences and views. Read more

Throughout their fieldwork activities, the TRAFIG teams in Italy and Greece were accompanied by camera teams. Based on this footage, two video documentaries have been produced which capture the realities of persons affected by protracted displacement. The two documentaries "Is my place here? Living as a refugee in Italy" directed by Andrea fantino and "Crafting futures" directed by Michalis Kastanidis and Io Chaviara are available for free from Tuesday 16 November at 21:00 to Sunday 21 November at 24:00 here.

The Italian documentary "Is my place here? Living as a refugee in Italy" will be also live screened on Thursday November 18th, 9pm at Cecchi Point (Turin). The documentary will be discussed by Ferruccio Pastore (FIERI Director), Pietro Cingolani (University of Bologna... Read more

The impact of Covid-19 restrictions on the lives of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection in reception in select European countries

Private stakeholder meeting 9 June 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a number of far-reaching impacts on daily life across Europe, and asylum systems are no exception. In this context, the accommodation of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection in reception settings poses many concerns related to the health and care of residents and staff. Since the outbreak, a variety of measures have been put in place in different reception systems and centres, including restrictions on movement, quarantines, the pausing of education- and work-related activities, and bans on or separate accommodation for new arrivals. The con... Read more

TRAFIG researchers Janemary Ruhundwa, Dignity Kwanza, and Rudolf Markus, BICC, participate in his seminar series, whichs focuses on refugee-led assistance and protection in the context of Covid-19. It features panels of individuals whose work is shaping how we understand and support refugee-led responses during crisis. Their accomplishments – whether as practitioners, policy influencers, funders, or community responders – challenge conventional top-down approaches to humanitarian assistance. These approaches are increasingly important in the current context, in which traditional humanitarian capacity has been stretched and forced to adapt. Refugee-led organisations are on the frontline of the response, in both refugee camps and cities.

For more informaton visit: https://www.rsc.ox... Read more

Listen to our TRAFIG colleague Sarah Tobin from CMI presenting new insights on how the COVID19 pandemic and respective government's responses impact Syrian refugees in Jordan. The Webinar, organized by the University of Bergen, is now available on Youtube. For further info click here.

On 9th of February 2020, the first interactive TRAFIG stakeholder workshop took place in Irbid, Jordan. It kicked off a series of events in the TRAFIG focus countries. This first workshop aimed at discussing viable policy options and good practices and thereby supporting the identification of possible solutions to protracted displacement. Organised by Yarmouk University in cooperation with BICC, CMI and ICMPD, it further built on the preliminary research results of the TRAFIG project. The workshop participants were invited to contribute to the analysis of these results.

At the opening of the workshop, the vice-president for administrative affairs of Yarmouk University, Prof. Anis Khasawneh, addressed in his welcome remarks the significance of the Syrian crisis for Jordan as a major hos... Read more