Region 5 is one of the most impoverished and insecure regions of Ethiopia. For decades, the region has suffered from a multitude of armed conflicts involving state and non-state actors. Region 5 is also one of the most underserved states of Ethiopia with some of the lowest levels of human development indicators nationwide. Although the adversities of poverty and conflict are widely acknowledged in their own respect, there has been little or no inquest into why poverty and conflict have prevailed under the same space for decades. Poverty and conflict have often been seen as separate phenomena that are dealt with using different sets of theories and practices in the real world. Nonetheless, a closer look at poverty and conflict in Region 5 reveals that both are strongly connected to each other. The poverty-conflict trap has been an on-going cycle in the region for the last five decades. The main intent of this research paper is analyzing the two-way relationship between poverty and conflict in Region 5. By studying this relationship, this analysis seeks to contribute to a new framework that brings peacebuilding and development closer.

Ahead of the 2023 Greek legislative election and given the emerging political landscape, this paper focuses on how the immigration policy shift of the center-right government emerged from 2019 elections has affected the state of liberal democracy in the country. For that purpose, a case study was employed, based on data extracted from immigration policy reports and governing party’s manifestos. This thesis is relying on theories on the relationship between populism, immigration, and liberal democracies. Applying a theory-confirming case study through a qualitative content analysis facilitates researcher to explore how the immigration policy shift and anti-immigrant populism in Greece challenge the political system’s commitment to liberal democracy since 2019. Examining the case of how populist tendencies crept into immigration politics in Greece, the study tries to contribute to the discussion on how populism influences liberal democracies. The normative assessment of this case in a deductive way contributes to the investigation in a given theoretical framework. The thematic analysis suggests that certain aspects of liberal democracy can be challenged by the populist immigration policy shift in Greece.

The aim of this study is to analyse the discourse surrounding the preservation of the Icelandic language in light of the growing immigrant population in Iceland. This is done by analysing and comparing two public language policies through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis, more specifically Discourse Historical Approach. This thesis contributes to the academic research on the Icelandic language and its immigrant population by offering a comparative study of a previously unexplored research topic. The findings indicate that there has been a discursive shift from conservative to more progressive attitudes towards the preservation of the Icelandic language, and the connection between language preservation and purification is beginning to weaken. The study shows that immigrants’ role as language users and language preservers is not sufficiently addressed or met, and a more inclusive approach towards the language is needed to facilitate the prosperous growth of a multicultural society and immigrants’ sense of belonging.

This study explores the discourses related to forced migration in the aftermath of disruptive emergencies through a case study of Turkey. 2 devastating earthquakes hit ten provinces on February 6, 2023, with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, and over 50,000 lives were lost In Turkey. 1.7 million refugees were residing in earthquake-affected provinces. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of meaning construction by host community members around refugees in the context of a disruptive emergency, using the Relational Dialectics Theory (RDT 2.0), theory of securitization, and human security to analyze online narratives of the earthquake and refugees. The study adopts a qualitative approach, with a case study design drawing on the method of contrapuntal analysis. This study's findings contribute to understanding the discursive interplay between Securitized Discourse (SD) and Humanizing Discourse (HD) in the aftermath of disruptive emergencies and shed light on the meaning construction by host community members around refugees. Additionally, this study extends the use of Relational Dialectics Theory (RDT 2.0) and the theory of securitization in the analysis of online narratives of crises. The focus of the study is to investigate the different discourses surrounding refugees after disasters, without intending to provide an analysis of the political actions or a moral assessment of the competing discourses. Limitations of the study include the use of online data and a specific platform within a specific time frame.

This thesis aims to contribute to ethical discussions on the production of photography in different humanitarian contexts, and in circumstances where it is facilitated by non-governmental and international non-governmental organisations (I/NGOs). Humanitarian photography is often reproduced and circulated in various forms by different actors, highlighting the need for research on the actions, decisions, and interactions that influence how these images are produced. An extensive literature review captures the many ethical challenges surrounding humanitarian photography and provides an overview of related standards. A conceptual framework is then built around informed consent as an accountability mechanism, with consideration for certain relational and situational factors that influence the quality and effectiveness of the process of obtaining consent. Emphasising photographer and organisational accountability, an analysis of how photographers apply the concept of informed consent and its potential as an accountability mechanism is explored through the case study of embedded photographers in search and rescue (SAR) I/NGO operations in the Mediterranean Sea.     Four semi-structured in-depth interviews were completed with photographers involved in SAR I/NGO missions in the Mediterranean from 2015 to 2021. The interviews suggest that a continuous and deliberate process of individual, organisational, and collaborative self-regulation unfolds throughout a mission, largely through verbal communication and body language, in an effort to obtain consent to take or use images of people who have been rescued. Use of formal means such as written consent forms are only rarely used. Photographs during the rescues were generally taken without prior consent, and photographers’ ability to obtain meaningful subsequent informed consent was easily compromised due to the unpredictable conditions during SAR operations and the variation across I/NGO-photographer partnerships. These findings support the need for further dialogue in this context to ensure that practices and processes related to the production of humanitarian photography, such as obtaining informed consent, are compatible with humanitarian principles, respect the rights and dignity of people affected by crisis, and foster greater accountability.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges currectly facing humanity. Its impacts lead to the displacement of people through sea level rise, desertification, drought, flood and other ecological disaster. The global imbalance of power results in people being unequally affected by climate change. This power imbalance affects the policy-making of intergovernmental institutions and knowledge production in policy processes. This thesis conducts a policy analysis to elaborate colonial continuities that influence knowledge production on migration and climate change. Therefore, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) is examined. The theoretical framework of the thesis draws on knowledge and power, modernity/coloniality, and racial capitalism. Findings suggest that the influences of colonial continuities on knowledge production about climate change and migration are reflected in underlying colonial epistemological and ontological assumptions, power structures and the hegemonic discourse. Alternative knowledges, such as those contributed by civil society actors are side-lined during the process and not included in the final document. The GCM does not consider the link between environmental change and racial capitalism or colonial power imbalance, but looks at only one of the adaptation strategies and presents it as a problem: human migration. Instead of addressing the root of the problem and holding polluting countries accountable for their inaction, the GCM focuses on migration control.

Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic are two recent crises whose combined effects exacerbated the exclusion of irregular migrants in Europe. In this thesis, I will explore the structure-agency linkages that shaped the everyday survival strategies of irregular Filipino migrants (IFMs) in navigating a post-Brexit, mid-pandemic UK. Using Sandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson’s frameworks of political-civil society, differential inclusion, and internal borders, I examine how IFMs exercised their agency against the “formal” rules of the state as well as the “informal” rules set by fellow social actors. The themes that emerged from the analysis underscored the long-debated sociological tensions between structure and agency. Among these, the most recurring one is that IFMs’ agency were expanded or delimited by their positionality vis-à-vis various social actors such as employers, landlords, co-tenants, “benevolent” individuals, and immigration middlemen. This necessitates further studies that could link these micro-level structurations to the broader epistemic shifts within Europe’s migration governance framework.

The purpose of this research is to create opportunities to promote social inclusion through Nature-Based Integration (NBI), aiming to understand the social construction of nature from a sociocultural perspective. Social constructivist theories have been employed in the field of migrant integration, however, a social constructivist standpoint has not yet been applied in the emerging sub-field of NBI. In contrast to applications of social cohesion theory in NBI, this thesis argues that applying the social constructivist theory highlights important differences that assist NBI projects by applying the knowledge of socio-cultural understandings of nature. This thesis thus provides a critique of the application of social cohesion to NBI initiatives, instead offering a case for social constructivism as an alternate framework. The analysis is based on a case study conducted within Kronoberg County in Sweden, utilizing interviews and observations to acquire insights into migrant and Swedish perspectives and experiences in natural environments. Understanding how nature can help with integration is beneficial for fostering inclusive and peaceful societies. This study investigated how experiences with the environment help migrants and Swedish citizens build social relationships, cultural understanding, and collective identity. Qualitative data from informal interviews give insight into individuals' perspectives, and observations provide knowledge of the community's common experiences. This study delves into connotations associated with natural areas, illustrating how nature is socially constructed from different positions. Adopting a comparative method, the study reveals possible shared and opposing meanings assigned to nature-based experiences. The analysis provides a case for applying social constructivism in NBI projects, as this offers a platform for migrant and Swedish communities to collaborate and exchange knowledge on the role of nature in their social lives. / Syftet med denna forskning är att skapa möjligheter att främja social integration genom Nature-Based Integration (NBI), i syfte att förstå naturens sociala konstruktion ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Socialkonstruktivistiska teorier har använts inom området migrantintegration. En socialkonstruktivistisk ståndpunkt har dock ännu inte tillämpats inom det framväxande delområdet av NBI. I motsats till tillämpningar av social sammanhållningsteori i NBI, hävdar denna avhandling att tillämpningen av den socialkonstruktivistiska teorin lyfter fram viktiga skillnader som hjälper NBI-projekt genom att tillämpa kunskapen om sociokulturell förståelse av naturen. Den här avhandlingen riktar därför kritik mot tillämpningen av social sammanhållning på NBI-initiativ, och erbjuder istället ett argument för socialkonstruktivism som ett alternativt ramverk. Analysen baseras på en fallstudie genomförd inom Kronobergs län, med hjälp av intervjuer och observationer för att få insikter om migranters och svenska perspektiv och erfarenheter i naturliga miljöer. Att förstå hur naturen kan hjälpa till med integration är fördelaktigt för att främja inkluderande och fredliga samhällen. Denna studie undersökte hur erfarenheter av miljön hjälper migranter och svenska medborgare att bygga sociala relationer, kulturell förståelse och kollektiv identitet. Kvalitativ data från informella intervjuer ger insikt i individers perspektiv och observationer ger kunskap om samhällets gemensamma erfarenheter. Denna studie fördjupar sig i konnotationer förknippade med naturområden och illustrerar hur naturen är socialt konstruerad från olika positioner. Genom att anta en jämförande metod avslöjar studien möjliga delade och motsatta betydelser som tilldelas naturbaserade upplevelser. Analysen ger ett argument för att tillämpa socialkonstruktivism i NBI-projekt, eftersom detta erbjuder en plattform för migranter och svenska samhällen att samarbeta och utbyta kunskap om naturens roll i deras sociala liv.

Over the last few years, there has been a rise in alternative media in Sweden as well as in otherEuropean countries. Although alternative media has proven to have more impact on attitudesthan traditional media, the field has been given limited attention. Left-wing media, in particular,has been given little thought by scholars and comparative discourse studies of alternative mediaacross the left-right spectrum has up till now not been achieved. . In this study, alternative mediais explored with a migration approach to understand how Muslims are discursively depicted inalternative right-wing and left-wing media. Through a media-political populism approach, thisstudy indicates that right-wing alternative media depict Muslims as ‘the elite’, whereasalternative left-wing media depict Muslims as ‘the people. Furthermore, the analysis finds thatalternative media make use of populist strategies to further their political stance. Finally, findingssuggests that further research expand on the definition of alterative media

The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences from the Swedish labor marketamong some foreign-born women. To answer the purpose, the following questions wereformulated:- Has it been easy or difficult for the foreign-born women to find work in Sweden?- How have the foreign-born women been treated by employers and work colleagues in theworkplace?- How and for what reason do the foreign-born women feel that they have been discriminatedagainst in a working life context? What experiences do they have?Based on a qualitative research method, five interviews were conducted with foreign-bornwomen who have been, and are, active in Swedish working life. The study showed that all ofthe participating women have felt that they have been discriminated against in the Swedishlabor market. In various ways, they have perceived that they have been disadvantaged andthereby not given the same conditions as domestically born when they have applied for workor the same opportunities for permanent employment, despite education. The women havefelt that they have been discriminated against because of their foreign background and forcultural and religious reasons. They have also been treated badly by their work colleagueswho have not allowed them to become part of the working community, and have gotten thefeeling that their foreign background has been the reason for the exclusion. The womenexperience that reasons for discrimination have, for example, been their foreign name, thatthey wear a veil, that they do not speak perfect Swedish and they have been met withprejudice, ignorance and the feeling that they have been opted out and excluded from thelabor market, both by employers and colleagues. The women have felt bullied, violated andquestioned in their working life. / Nej