Migration and forced displacement studies: Global, regional, and Sudanese perspectives

This online resource gives an introduction to important terms and concepts within the field of migration studies, with a particular focus on displacement and refugeehood.  It is developed specifically for the Sudan Norway Academic Cooperation (SNAC) project but can also be useful for a broader audience. It delves into central debates and themes that are relevant to the Middle East and North African context, as well as Sudan in particular. Migration and displacement studies cover a wide, cross-disciplinary field. This overview is not exhaustive but highlights some of the key debates, theories and concepts.

Our objectives are:

• To give an overview of the most important terms, concepts, and themes in the field of migration studies, with an emphasis on displacement and refugeehood.
• To introduce relevant issues concerning migration and specifically displacement and refugeehood in the MENA region.
• To introduce relevant issues concerning migration and specifically displacement and refugeehood in the context of Sudan.

 

Content

The resource is divided into three sections that are connected but can also be read independently.

Part 1 introduces the general field of migration and refugee studies, with an emphasis on the issues of forced displacement and refugeehood.

Part 2 delves into migration in the MENA region and maps out topics that are specific for this context.

Part 3 focuses on Sudan both as a context of reception and as a sending country.

 

Context

Mobility and migration are far from new phenomena. This is especially visible in a country like Sudan that has been at the crossroads of human movement throughout history.

The reasons why people choose to leave their homes and settle somewhere else are numerous and complex, and so is the scholarly field of migration.

When people cross international borders, they often meet barriers, whether they are moving by choice, out of necessity, seeking new opportunities or because they are forced to leave. However, these barriers are not equal for everyone, and as people move, they are categorized, labelled, and classified. Migration has brought people of different ethnic groups and nationalities together, but it has also been central to destructive processes such as colonialism, mass expulsions, and ethnic cleansing. Migration is therefore highly political. National governments and international institutions are actively seeking to manage people on the move, yet people moving within and across borders find ways to resist and challenge the barriers they confront.

Along with migration studies, an important subfield deals with people who are displaced by war and conflict, and political or identity-based persecution. This line of research — often referred to as refugee studies or forced migration studies — focuses on the systems and regulations that influence and govern refugees’ and asylum seekers’ movements and daily lives.

This resource has been developed with a particular focus on displacement due to conflict, in order to grasp the dynamics and profound consequences of displacement within and from Sudan.