Refugee Research: Issues, Knowledge Clusters and Partnerships

Susan McGrath PhD Director of Centre for Refugee Studies, York University

National RAP Conference 2007Vancouver BC

SSHRC Research Cluster: Critical Refugee Issues by Chronology

Pre-Migration: International Responses to Displacement

Migration: Individual and Family, Government/Private Sponsored, Claimants

Post-Migration: Resettlement, Secondary

Migration + Return

SSHRC Research Cluster: Critical Refugee Issues by Theme

Displacement and Protection

Health and Healing

Representation and Community

Edmonton’s New Canadians' Health Centre Pilot Recommends

Research effective responses to emerging mental health issues to reflect an understanding of refugees' premigration experience.

Research the impact of practice that builds a 'collective capacity' to address mental health concerns among refugee children, youth and adults.

Edmonton’s New Canadians' Health Centre Pilot Recommends

Examine policies in other countries that set national standards on screening for infectious diseases and health assessments for children and adults.

Research the impact of public policies that compound and sometimes retraumatize refugees during their settlement process.

Proposal for a Global Refugee Knowledge Cluster

Goal: Knowledge mobilization

An iterative and interactive communication network among researchers, practitioners and policy makers that will facilitate the transfer of knowledge that is being generated at each site.

Global Refugee Knowledge Cluster

Stage 1 – building associations or groupings:

i) a new Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies;

ii) a Global Cluster of Research Centres on Forced Migration;

iii) a Network of New Scholars of Forced Migration;

iv) a new International NGO Network on Refugee Rights lead by Canadian Council for Refugees; and

v) the development of inter-diasporic communities.

Global Refugee Knowledge Cluster

Stage 2 - development of interactive mechanisms:

i) On-line events/seminars;

ii) Researcher profile web pages;

iii) a digital library (in partnership with Oxford University’s Forced Migration Online);

iv) an online Teaching Lab; and

v) Experts online.

Principles of Community University Partnerships

Shared Vision

Commitment

Respect

Sustainability

Trust

Accountability

Equity/fairness

Mutual Benefit

Flexibility

Inclusivity