This thesis examines post-2003 Iraqi refugee narratives of identity in the United States and the intricacies constituting the establishment of 'home' in the country that remains an occupying force within their native land. The project provides insight into the lived experiences, feelings of belonging, and resettlement of Iraqis in two U.S. cities. I draw on interviews focused on the resettlement experiences and expectations of Iraqis currently living the Pacific Northwest city of Portland, Oregon and how that may compare to constructs of identity and conceptualizations of home in the southwestern city of Austin, Texas. I employ work by geographers and the growing body of literature on diaspora, refugee studies, and resettlement in other related disciplines to frame important and challenging questions about refugee identity, home-making, and sense of belonging.

This thesis explores the relationship between community gardens in Portland, Oregon, and the refugee integration process. Using interviews and observations of a community garden in southeast Portland, the research explores the actors and organizations working with refugees in community gardens all over the city. The most prominent actors in the community garden networks are referred to as Community Cultivators. These individuals are refugees and also strongly tied to organizations and institutions in Portland. It is through these social networks that Community Cultivators are able to build bridges between their refugee communities and Portland-based organizations, fostering integration. This research also explores how integration happens in the community gardens in Portland and why community gardens are able to foster these relationships. The foundational framework used in this research is Alison Ager and Alistar Strang’s (2008) Indicators of Integration, which is adapted for the unique process of refugee integration through community gardens engagement.

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS) / The thesis examines continuity and change in the agrarian history of the Mwenezi District, southern Zimbabwe since 1980. It analyses agrarian reforms, agrarian practices and development initiatives in the district and situates them in the localised livelihood strategies of different people within the Dinhe Communa Area and the Mangondi resettlement Area in Lieu of the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) since 2000. The thesis also examines the livelihood opportunities and challenges presented by the FTLRP to the inhabitants of Mwenezi.The thesis contributes to the growing body of empirical studies on the impact of Zimbabwe's ongoing land reform programme and to debates and discourses on agrarian reform. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This dissertation investigates the processes which underpin land grabbing, the diverse land grab types, actors involved and their roles in facilitating the expropriation of community land. It also interrogates the agrarian transformations and socio-economic consequences and the mechanisms employed by the local communities in Amuru district of Northern Uganda to block and resist the expropriation of their land. To achieve these objectives, this study employed a qualitative research design and methodology. The techniques that were used to collect the data are review of secondary data, individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The study revealed that liberalisation of the Ugandan economy reduced the role of the state and subsequently promoted market approaches to land and agrarian reform. Market-led approaches have facilitated the commoditisation and entry of private investment in land and agriculture in Uganda. The dissertation identifies two distinct categories of land grabs in Amuru district. The first category comprises of two cases. One, large-scale land grabbing for commercial agriculture by the Madhvani Group in Lakang village; and two, large-scale land grabbing for conservation purposes by Lake Albert Safaris Limited in Apaa village. The second category encompasses localised small-scale land grabs between and among local communities of Amuru district. I further disaggregated the localised small-scale land grabs into four broad categories which are ‘inter and intra-community’ as well as ‘inter and intra-family’ land grabs, with the former encompassing the broader members of the community, while the latter involves members of related families. The actors who are directly and indirectly involved in land grabbing are domestic and foreign investors, the Ugandan state, Uganda Wildlife Authority, local governments, military personnel, the politically connected and rich peasants in Amuru district. Whereas land grabbing in Amuru district has resulted in the accumulation of more land, power and capital for domestic and foreign investors as well as local elites, loss of agrarian livelihood systems, rights to land, cultural heritage, identity, spirituality and belonging, incarceration and loss of lives as well as destruction of property have, in turn, disempowered and marginalised the local communities. A wide range of response mechanisms, including open display of nudity by elderly women, seeking legal redress from statutory courts and traditional authorities, questioning the procedure of land acquisition, acceptance and rejection of widow inheritance have been deployed by the local communities to block and resist the expropriation of their land.

During 2015 – 2016, thousands of Syrian refugees arrived in Canadian cities, many of them hoping to find permanent settlement and new life opportunities. In the coming years, these refugees will form communities as they settle in Canada, and develop their own understandings of citizenship and belonging. Using an acculturation framework that views schooling as a primary shaper of resettlement experiences, this qualitative study draws on narrative methodology to explore the overarching question: What are the schooling experiences of recently arrived Syrian refugee within the Ottawa public school system? Refugee narratives describe hopes and concerns for the future, and provide insights for school administrators, educators, and policy makers into the previous experiences of refugees, and current challenges. Findings suggest Syrians arrive to Canada with a determination to succeed, and have positive initial schooling experiences, but often face challenges such as: lack of information, change in family roles, and language barriers.

El inicio de la ejecución de proyectos de infraestructura de transporte en Lima Metropolitana ha presentado retrasos; y en muchos de los casos, se ha visto paralizado por la oposición de los expropiados por dejar sus predios, lo cual ha imposibilitado la adquisición parcial y/o total de estos. Esta problemática reside en la deficiente elaboración del Plan de Compensación y Reasentamiento Involuntario (PACRI) que se ha implementado en los proyectos de estudio de la presente tesis: La Ampliación del Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez, Línea 2 y Ramal Av. Faucett; y la Ampliación de la Autopista Ramiro Prialé, los cuales han mostrado un significativo retraso de su ejecución tras un conflicto constante entre población afectada y la entidad ejecutora del PACRI. Como propuesta de solución, se elaboró una guía dirigida a proyectos de infraestructura de transporte en Lima Metropolitana, la cual brindará un procedimiento uniforme para la elaboración y posterior implementación del PACRI a partir del uso de buenas prácticas y aplicación de herramientas de gestión, a fin de garantizar el bienestar socioeconómico y cultural de los expropiados. Para su validación, se procedió a un juicio de expertos en el área de estudio con la finalidad de extraer una retroalimentación de la propuesta de guía obteniendo una mejora del plan compuesto por tres fases: formulación, implementación y expost, las cuales pretenderán velar por el bienestar de la población afectada, minimizando los impactos negativos que puedan generar los proyectos y mejorar la calidad de vida de los mismos después del reasentamiento. / The beginning of the execution of transport infrastructure projects in Metropolitan Lima has presented delays; and in many of the cases, it has been paralyzed by the opposition of the expropriated ones for leaving their properties, which has made partial and / or total acquisition of these impossible. This problem lies in the deficient preparation of the Involuntary Compensation and Resettlement Plan (PACRI) that has been implemented in the study projects of this thesis: The Expansion of the Jorge Chávez International Airport, Line 2 and Av. Faucett Branch; and the Extension of the Ramiro Prialé Highway, which have shown a significant delay in their execution following a constant conflict between the affected population and the executing agency of the PACRI. As a solution proposal, a guide was developed for transport infrastructure projects in Lima Metropolitana, which will provide a uniform procedure for the development and subsequent implementation of PACRI based on the use of good practices and implementation of management tools to ensure the socio-economic and cultural well-being of expropriated people. For its validation, a judgement of experts in the area of study was carried out in order to extract a feedback of the proposed guide obtaining an improvement of the plan composed of three phases: formulation, implementation and expost, which will aim ensure the well-being of the affected population, minimizing the negative impacts that projects can generate and improving their quality of life after resettlement. / Tesis

The Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex (DFW) serves as a diverse resettlement location for globally displaced refugees. While research examines how the nation impacts refugee resettlement, studies that examine the role of the city and community in placemaking are still lacking. In city resettlement investigations, research often focuses broadly on advocacy and political movements rather than the impacts of local-level structures and policies. In this paper, I develop an evaluation model using Jenny Phillimore's categories for successful refugee resettlement that examines how structural barriers, community interactions, and resource accessibility affect space and place for refugee populations. Through an ethnography of Chin and Rohingya refugee communities in DFW, I explore the differences between community-settled and state-settled refugee groups and the idea of an integrated resettlement program. Additionally, I argue that refugees who choose their settlement location in the United States are empowered and thus have a stronger connection to their host community than state-settled refugees. For example, in interviews, the Chin emphasized their ownership of Lewisville and feelings of home, while the Rohingya expressed feelings of placelessness and dispossession in Dallas. As governments push towards an entirely privatized system of refugee resettlement, this research argues for an integrated method that draws upon federal resources and community connections. Through the experiences of Lewisville's Chin community, this research demonstrates the potential of such a program in the United States.

No description available.

After relocation to the United States, refugees are often assisted by community volunteers in the process of resettlement, which frequently includes navigating the financial and social aspects of life in the US. However, the medical and health aspects of resettlement, and particularly how volunteers are involved in those aspects, have gone unexplored, leading to tensions within volunteer-led resettlement groups as they attempt to negotiate the limits of volunteer involvement. To investigate how volunteers understand a process of health resettlement, their role(s) within the process, and how they rhetorically position their relationship with resettling clients, this study uses interview data from a local, volunteer-run community resettlement organization to provide a rhetorical examination of health resettlement. An analysis finds that in both contrast and response to a rhetoric of self-sufficiency established by state and federal policy, resettlement volunteers understand health resettlement through a rhetoric of responsibility. This rhetorical framework constitutes volunteers' role as proxy agents in the process of health resettlement. Additionally, volunteers use a gathered ethos approach within this framework, drawing from community networks in order to facilitate persuasion of resettling clients toward desired health outcomes. Ultimately, recommendations are made for community sponsorship and volunteer approaches to health resettlement for refugees in the United States. / Doctor of Philosophy / After relocation to the United States, refugees are often assisted by community volunteers in the process of resettlement, which frequently includes navigating the financial and social aspects of life in the US. However, the medical and health aspects of refugee resettlement, and particularly how volunteers are involved in those aspects, have gone unexplored. This study uses interviews with resettlement volunteers to understand how volunteers perceive their role within the health resettlement process, how they position themselves in relation to resettling refugees, and how they expect refugees to navigate health communication scenarios. It finds that volunteers feel a tension between a rhetoric of self-sufficiency that is established by policy and a rhetoric of responsibility that is established by humanitarian narratives. This tension motivates volunteers to act as communication intermediaries, performing health communication tasks on behalf of refugee clients while also attempting to persuade clients toward particular healthcare decisions. Recommendations are made for community sponsorship and volunteer approaches to health resettlement for refugees in the United States.

In 1997, the Virginia Refugee Health Program coordinated a protocol and reimbursement structure to encourage health departments to perform initial health screenings on refugees settling in the Commonwealth by establishing four recommended levels of assessment. This thesis is concerned with these initial health-related services provided to refugees by Virginia's health departments, the quality of these services, and how they vary from one district to another. For this study, I interviewed health department staff representing 13 of Virginia's 19 districts that rendered health screenings in 2000. Information such as the level of assessment provided, and the types of procedures and services offered were the main foci of the interviews. I found that of the 13 districts, three (the cities of Alexandria and Virginia Beach, and Prince William County) offer only the required minimum to refugees. The variations I discovered in the services that health districts provide suggest, conceptually, the workings of both "structure" and "agency." Each health department is formally and informally structured in terms of staffing, services, and resources in accordance with its individual needs and initiatives. The structure of current funding at both the state and local level acts to inhibit some health districts from providing all four levels of assessment. In addition, human agency in the form of personal interest in meeting refugee's health needs as well as district collaboration with local resettlement agencies, also plays an important role in the extent of refugee services rendered. / Master of Science