Diaspora humanitarianism in contexts of forced displacement

散居群体的作用已成为应对有关被迫流离失所和冲突的人道主义灾难的关键。学术和政策方面的关注有限但日益增多，他们认识到，在紧急情况下，侨民往往是第一个作出反应的人，他们采取多部门和跨国办法，并根据当地环境的专业知识采取行动。网上筹款、通信技术和汇款使目前主要在正式人道主义部门之外运作的国际特别应对措施得以发展，国际非政府组织往往无法接触到偏远人口。特别是在叙利亚难民危机的背景下，散居海外的叙利亚人--包括自愿和被迫移民--在包括土耳其、黎巴嫩、约旦和最近的苏丹在内的多个国家的当地社区应对措施中发挥了关键作用。不受限制地进入苏丹造成叙利亚人更多地涌入喀土穆，他们在那里受到苏丹和国际非政府组织以及叙利亚侨民组织和当地社区的接待。鉴于政策参与在承认侨民群体作为人道主义行为者的作用方面仍然犹豫不决，而且目前关于这一专题的文献有限，因此有必要审查侨民群体在应对流离失所危机方面发挥重要作用的新案例。探讨散居国外的叙利亚人团体在喀土穆所做努力的性质、作用、驱动因素和影响，有助于加深我们对散居海外的人作为一个“非传统”人道主义行为者群体的理解，他们在实施援助和援助方面有不同的运作方式，并有助于制定政策和实践，以便最好地应对人道主义紧急情况。研究人员、从业者和散居者团体、希望与散居者团体接触的人道主义行为者以及政策制定者将对研究散居者的学者、从业者和散居者群体感兴趣。该项目将建立在新兴的但未被充分探索的南南人道主义概念化的基础上，该概念关注由南方行为者领导的地方社区对全球南方境内流离失所人口的反应和援助活动。在确定“南方”理论框架的优先次序时，这项研究将使占主导地位的人道主义叙述产生问题，这些叙述到目前为止基本上排除了散居国外的人道主义现象，并将寻求在“南方对流离失所的反应”关系中探索南方领导的应对冲突引起的流离失所的不同模式。该项目还将发展人道主义基础设施的概念，其中包括检查促进或阻止支持流动的通信系统和技术以及机构、社会网络和个人关系。该项目的目的是通过对叙利亚难民社区和帮助他们的海外组织的研究，检查苏丹喀土穆的海外人道主义。这将通过五个目标来实现：1)检查为抵达苏丹的叙利亚人动员的援助类型2)解释提供援助的原因3)解释流离失所者和那些支持他们的人给予这种援助的意义4)看看援助如何能够或无法解决5)确定指导援助的人道主义原则和未来愿景。本论文将采用跨国社会领域的视角来研究多个相互关联的社会关系网络，通过这些网络，思想、做法和资源被不平等地交换、组织和转化。因此，这项研究将采用定性的主位方法，包括半结构化访谈。与难民等弱势群体接触有关的伦理问题将成为研究方法的核心。

The role of diaspora groups has emerged as key in responding to humanitarian disasters concerning forced displacement and conflict. Limited but growing scholarly and policy attention recognises diasporas are often the first to respond in emergencies, taking a multi-sectoral and transnational approach, and acting with expertise of the local environment. Online fundraising, communications technology and remittances has enabled the development of international ad-hoc responses that currently operate mostly outside of the formal humanitarian sector, often reaching remote populations that international non-governmental organisations cannot.Particularly in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, the Syrian diaspora - comprising voluntary and forced migrants - have been key in local community responses across multiple countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and more recently Sudan. Unrestricted access to Sudan has created intensified flows of Syrians to Khartoum, where they are received by Sudanese and International NGO's, and by Syrian diaspora organisations and local communities. Given that policy engagement remains hesitant to acknowledge the role of diaspora groups as humanitarian actors, and the literature on this topic is currently limited, there is a need to examine new cases where diaspora groups are playing significant roles in responding to displacement crises. Exploring the nature, role, drivers and impact of Syrian diaspora group efforts in Khartoum could contribute to furthering our understanding of diaspora's as a 'non-traditional' humanitarian actor group with different modus operandi for the implementation of aid and assistance, as well as contribute to the development of policy and practice to best respond to humanitarian emergences. The findings will be of interest to scholars researching diasporas, to practitioners and diaspora groups, to humanitarian actors looking to engage with diaspora groups, and to policy makers.This project will build upon the emerging yet underexplored conceptualisation of south-south humanitarianism which gives attention to local community responses and assistance activities led by Southern actors for displaced populations within the global South. In prioritising theoretical frameworks from the 'South', this study will problematise the dominant humanitarian narratives which have until now largely excluded the phenomenon of diaspora humanitarianism, and will seek to explore diverse models of Southern-led responses to conflict-induced displacement within the 'southern responses to displacement' nexus. This project will also develop the concept of humanitarian infrastructures - which includes an examination of the communications systems and technologies as well as institutions, social networks and personal relations that facilitate or block movement of support.The aim of the project is to examine diaspora humanitarianism in Khartoum, Sudan through a study of the Syrian refugee communities and the diaspora organisations assisting them. This will be achieved through five objectives 1) To examine the types of assistance that have been mobilised for Syrians arriving in Sudan 2) To explain the reasons why assistance is provided 3) To explain the meanings attached to this assistance by the displaced and those supporting them 4) To look at how the assistance enables or disables settlement 5) To identify the principles and future visions of humanitarianism guiding the assistance.The thesis would adopt a transnational social field perspective to examine multiple interlocking networks of social relationships through which ideas, practices and resources are unequally exchanged, organised, and transformed. The study will thus employ a qualitative emic methodology involving semi-structured interviews. The ethical issues associated with engaging with vulnerable populations such as refugees would be made central to the research approach.