"Research on forcibly displaced people and their digital cultures have dominantly focused on utility-driven ends, primarily tied to goals of assimilation, social surveillance/tracking, economic betterment and other aid agencies’ specific agendas and outcomes. This approach negates much of their di
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gital life – that which is consumed by leisure and play, including popular media entertainment, gaming, romancing, and social networking, much like typical online users worldwide. Leisure has proven to be fundamental to social and mental well-being as it allows for unstructured time and thought (Arora, 2019), an essential gateway into self and community actualization. The restrictive lens of utility-centeredness may lead to insufficient data, or even directly contribute to misleading data, on these communities. This is significant, because this research base is often instrumentalized by aid agencies in their pursuit for equitable and meaningful connectivity for these targeted populations. This report takes a holistic approach by addressing one of the key gaps facing this demographic and their virtual life: digital leisure. While there is some primary research on how these communities engage with media platforms, digital networks, and online leisure content in diverse contexts, there is a need for a comprehensive synthesis of observations surrounding individuals’ multifaceted ‘media life’. This report seeks to address gaps in research and practice in this area of focus. The digital leisure approach supports the natural ways in which people navigate digital spaces and provides new opportunities to expand existing policies that ensure accountability and community-based responses to the need for digital inclusion." (Introduction, page 10)
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"This study focused on identity formation and media consumption among first-generation young Africans in the diaspora. It investigated what it means to be African and the impact of multiple identities and forms of belonging within diasporic communities. Emphasis was on how they experience the diaspo
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ra as liminal spaces and subsequently negotiate relationships with other Africans in indeterminate diasporic spaces to construct, redefine, negotiate and even contest identities. Using snowballing and purposive sampling, the study analysed first hand accounts and interviews informed by personal histories and lived experiences of (1) what they know about Africa; (2) their sense of belonging to Africa; (3) how Africa is represented in the media and (4) their views/attitudes on markers of African identity. Findings indicate that young Africans in the diaspora have a strong sense of belonging to Africa and are actively engaged with different forms of African media such as music and films." (Abstract)
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"Die Begriffe, mit denen über Migration und Diversität geforscht und diskutiert wird, sind keineswegs neutral. Sie sind vielmehr das Ergebnis sozialer Praktiken und als solches selbst Gegenstand von Konflikten. Die Beiträge des Bandes untersuchen die Genese und den oft umstrittenen Gebrauch zentr
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aler Migrationsbegriffe, ihr historisches Gewordensein und ihre politischen Implikationen: von "Ausländer" über "Integration" bis zur "Willkommenskultur". Die Auseinandersetzung mit diesen kontroversen Begriffen leistet einen Beitrag zu mehr sprachlicher Sensibilität in den aktuellen Diskursen über Migration." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This open access book brings into dialogue migration and religion scholars with spiritual leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations assisting refugees. Migration has always been part of spiritual development. The current 'refugee crisis' has brought to the fore debates regarding the
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role of religion in defining difference, linking the 'refugee crisis' with Islam, and fear of the 'Other.' Many religious leaders and politicians invoke religious values and call for strict border controls while many humanitarians use religious values to welcome and assist refugees. This book focuses on politics and discourses mobilized by religious beliefs; lived experiences of religion; and faith actors' responses to forced migration." (Publisher description)
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"Groupwork with Refugees and Survivors of Human Rights Abuses describes, explores and promotes the power of groupwork for refugees and survivors of human rights abuses in a range of contexts. Drawing on multiple theoretical approaches, the book features chapters from practitioners running groups in
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different settings, such as torture rehabilitation services, refugee camps, and reception centres. The voices of participants demonstrate the variety, creativity, and value of group and community approaches for recovery. The editors have gathered chapters into three sections covering: community-based approaches; groups that work through the medium of "body and soul"; and group approaches that focus on change through the spoken word. The book will be relevant to those working in rehabilitation, community, mental health, and humanitarian fields and are interested in using groupwork as part of their services." (Publisher description)
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"Based on 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork, Ageing with Smartphones in Urban Chile analyses the experience of ageing for Peruvian migrants aged around 60, who have lived in Chile for over 20 years. Their lives are informed by a series of experiences of being in between. They live between two coun
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tries, two generations (their Peruvian parents and their Chilean children), two different stages in life (retained youth and menacing old age), between giving care (to their parents) and not wanting care (from their children) and between a continuing legacy (through their children, who have a promising future) and not transmitting legacy (some traditions will not pass on to the next generation). Peruvian migration has been one of the most studied in Chile. However, neither the experience of ageing of migrants in Chile nor the experience of late middle age has been fully addressed yet. By focusing on the entanglement of ageing, migration and technology, this monograph is an ethnographic contribution to an unexplored subject in the vast literature on migration studies in Chile." (Publisher description).
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"As press freedoms around the globe erode, journalists are building networks outsidetheir home countries to continue reporting." (Summary)
"Zwischen dem 19.09.2022 und 18.09.2023 wurde das Projekt „Narrative über den Krieg Russlands gegen die Ukraine“ (NUK, im Folgenden NUK) vom Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD Germany) im Auftrag der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb umgesetzt. Ziel des Projekts war es, Desinformati
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on gegenüber ukrainischen Geflüchteten innerhalb russisch- und arabischsprachiger Communities in Deutschland mithilfe von vier online verbreiteten Erklärvideos zu beleuchten. Dieser Abschlussbericht stellt die zentralen Ergebnisse der Analysen zu Desinformationsnarrativen dar, skizziert den Entstehungsprozess sowie die Inhalte der Videos und führt eine Evaluation der Verbreitung der Videos durch." (Seite 3)
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"1. Increasing attacks on independent media globally are forcing journalists to flee their home countries. Working from abroad, these reporters remain crucial sources of information about some of the world’s most authoritarian countries. But safety in exile is not guaranteed.
2. At least 26 govern
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ments, including those of Belarus, Cambodia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, have targeted journalists abroad with transnational repression, putting their safety and work in serious peril.
3. Transnational repression against journalists includes assault, detention, kidnapping, and unlawful deportation, as well as serious limitations on freedom of movement resulting from these threats. It also entails the intimidation of journalists’ family members, digital harassment, smear campaigns, doxing, and other attempts to prevent truthful reporting.
4. These attacks have a devastating impact on journalists’ well-being, as well as their ability to deliver independent reporting. Exiled reporters struggle to maintain the contacts they need to cover stories. They face death threats, online harassment, and aggressive rhetoric from officials in origin countries. Often in precarious economic situations, they must also shoulder high monetary costs to overcome censorship, protect their digital and physical security, and navigate difficult immigration bureaucracies.
5. Despite these challenges, exiled journalists have developed strategies to keep working. But they need legal, financial, and operational support from host governments, civil society, and media organizations in order to continue to expose human rights violations around the world." (Key findings)
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"Die Medienberichterstattung über Geflüchtete wird von einem großen Teil der deutschen Bevölkerung als einseitig wahrgenommen. Inhaltsanalysen zeigen allerdings sehr unterschiedliche Befunde: Während einige Studien eine einseitig positive Berichterstattung konstatieren, kommen andere zu dem Erg
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ebnis, die Berichterstattung sei einseitig negativ. Dabei handelt es sich jedoch meist um Querschnittstudien im Zusammenhang mit besonders spektakulären Ereignissen von unterschiedlicher Valenz. Zudem werden oft nur wenige Medien und wenige Indikatoren für Einseitigkeit betrachtet. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht deshalb erstmals die Berichterstattung von sechs deutschen Leitmedien über Geflüchtete in einem Zeitraum von fast sechs Jahren (Mai 2015 bis Dezember 2020) anhand verschiedener Indikatoren für Einseitigkeit. Eine manuelle Inhaltsanalyse von 8185 Medienbeiträgen zeigt, dass insgesamt zwei konfligierende Narrative die Berichterstattung dominierten: Geflüchtete wurden als Menschen in Not charakterisiert, die aus humanitären Gründen aufgenommen werden müssen, und gleichzeitig als Sicherheitsrisiko für die deutsche Bevölkerung beschrieben. Im Zeitverlauf zeigten sich ereignisabhängig erhebliche Schwankungen in Menge und Tendenz der Berichterstattung. Zugleich war aber auch ein Trend zu weniger und negativerer Berichterstattung erkennbar. Ursachen und vermutliche Folgen dieser Berichterstattungsmuster werden im Beitrag diskutiert." (Abstract)
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"At Oxfam it is important that the language we use reflects our values and work. Language has the power to reinforce or deconstruct systems of power that maintain poverty, inequality and suffering. Choices in language can empower us to reframe issues, rewrite tired stories, challenge problematic ide
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as and build a radically better future based on a survivor-centred, intersectional, anti-racist and feminist vision of equality." (Page 5)
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"Unruly Speech explores how Uyghurs in China and in the diaspora transgress sociopolitical limits with "unruly" communication practices in a quest for change. Drawing on research in China, the United States, and Germany, Saskia Witteborn situates her study against the backdrop of displacement and sh
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ows how naming practices and witness accounts become potent ways of resistance in everyday interactions and in global activism. Featuring the voices of Uyghurs from three continents, Unruly Speech analyzes the discursive and material force of place names, social media, surveillance, and the link between witnessing and the discourse on human rights. The book provides a granular view of disruptive communication: its global political moorings and socio-technical control. The rich ethnographic study will appeal to audiences interested in migration and displacement, language and social interaction, advocacy, digital surveillance, and a transnational China." (Publisher description)
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