Doctoral Dissertation Research: Understanding Resettlement of Communities

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This Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement project will investigate how national policy changes shape the practices, strategies, and experiences of resettlement communities by conducting an analysis of how resettlement communities respond to the arrival of displaced people and communities. This study will contribute to scholarly research on theories about the relationship between humanitarianism, diversity, and community integration. The broader impacts of this research will 1) inform local resettlement policy, 2) inform local resettlement agencies’ initiatives and practices; and 3) provide insight into how local organizations, community members, and displaced people and communities experience resettlement. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this project will provide support to enable a promising student to establish an independent research career.This study will address the following research questions: 1) how are local resettlement agencies impacted by changes in resettlement policies? 2) how are local-residents responding and reacting to resettlement, and 3) how do the experiences of displaced people and communities differ based on geographic location. To answer these questions, the PIs will use ethnographic and qualitative methods that include semi-structured interviews with resettlement agency employees, service providers, displaced people, and residents; focus groups; and participant observation. The results from this research project will provide new insights regarding resettlement programs and how resettlement is practiced and experienced in small and medium-sized cities, particularly as national perspectives on displaced people undergo rapid change.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.