Belonging, Power, and Mobility: Insights from EMMIR Edition 12 Internship Research
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The third semester of the European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR) marks another milestone in our students’ academic journey, as Edition 12 students complete their research reports based on project-based internships. These reports demonstrate the intellectual depth, methodological diversity, and critical engagement that define the programme.
This year’s internship research projects examine how migration is shaped by unequal structures of governance, labour markets, borders, language regimes, and memory politics—while also highlighting the agency, creativity, and resilience of migrant communities. From analyses of labour migration flows and deskilling in Norway and Slovenia, to critical examinations of AI-driven border infrastructures in the European Union; from studies on climate-induced displacement in South and Southeast Asia to research on diaspora space-making, collective memory, and intergenerational identity formation across Europe and Africa, Edition 12 students engage with migration as a complex and contested field of power and possibility.
Grounded in internships with universities, NGOs, international organisations, community centres, and policy institutions, these reports bridge theory and practice. They combine qualitative fieldwork, policy analysis, participatory and reflexive methodologies, and critical theoretical frameworks to interrogate how belonging is negotiated, how mobility is governed, and how power operates across local and global contexts.
We are proud to present the abstracts of the Edition 12 Internship Research Reports below. Together, they reflect EMMIR’s transnational, interdisciplinary, and socially engaged approach to migration studies—one that treats mobility not simply as movement across borders, but as a site of ethical, political, and epistemic struggle.
Mapping an Emerging Migration Flow: Overseas Filipino Workers and the Slovenian Labour Market
Juan Paulo Gabriel Perez Amurao
Abstract
Traditionally reliant on foreign labour from neighbouring countries, Slovenia has shifted towards Asian labour sources. The main aim of this study is to provide an empirical foundation for understanding the emerging migration trend of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to Slovenia, a topic on which there is limited literature. Using quantitative and qualitative data, the study maps this previously unstudied migration flow by exploring the size and demographic profile, geographical distribution, and the sectors of employment occupied by OFWs. While the geographical distribution of the Filipino workers could not be determined, it was found that the Filipinos in Slovenia are primarily male and occupy blue-collar jobs. Furthermore, the study concludes with three main findings. First, the migration flow is economically motivated due to the wage disparity between the Philippines and Slovenia. Second, employers perceive OFWs as well-suited to these jobs because they help bridge labour gaps created by local expectations and geographic mismatches. This perception is further shaped by national stereotypes about the Filipinos’ work ethic. Finally, Filipinos are recruited into low-cost jobs that are vulnerable to economic uncertainty.
Mental Health as a Key Dimension of Migrant Integration: A Scoping Review of the Literature
Lara Vieira da Silveira
Abstract
This scoping review examines how mental health functions as a core dimension of migrant integration by mapping interdisciplinary evidence from studies published between 2015 and 2025. Drawing on 59 peer-reviewed sources from health, psychology, and migration studies, the review identifies the individual, social, cultural, and structural determinants shaping psychosocial well-being among migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The findings demonstrate that pre-migration trauma, post-migration stressors, legal precarity, discrimination, and barriers to healthcare access significantly heighten vulnerability to anxiety, depression, and PTSD. At the same time, resilience, social support, culturally grounded coping strategies, and inclusive integration frameworks act as powerful protective factors. The analysis reveals five thematic axes: psychosocial factors; culture and adaptation; social determinants and access to care; social and cultural integration; and gendered vulnerabilities, highlighting the interdependence between mental health and integration outcomes. The evidence underscores that sustainable integration cannot be achieved without addressing mental health inequalities and embedding culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and structurally responsive psychosocial support into migration and social policy. The review concludes by identifying persistent research gaps and calling for intersectional, participatory, and long-term approaches to better understand and promote migrant well-being.
Keywords: migrant integration, mental health, psychosocial well-being, refugees, social determinants of health, acculturation, gender and migration, scoping review
Between Home and Host: Lived Experiences of Afghan Women Migrants in Stavanger, Norway
Roshan Gul Haidari
Abstract
This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of Afghan women migrants in Stavanger, Norway, examining how they negotiate life between constructions of ‘home’ and the realities of the ‘host’ society. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and employing a theoretical framework integrating hybridity (Bhabha, 1994), the politics of belonging (Yuval-Davis, 2011), and forms of capital (Bourdieu, 1986), the research reveals integration to be a dynamic and agentic process. The findings indicate that Afghan women actively construct hybrid identities, navigating a complex duality in which Afghanistan remains an emotional homeland while Norway provides safety and opportunity. A significant gap emerges between their formal legal status and their felt sense of belonging, which is often challenged by discrimination and restrictive community expectations. The women strategically deploy cultural, social, and economic capital to navigate the Norwegian integration regime and labour market, while renegotiating gender norms within a new egalitarian context. The study concludes that their experiences are not a linear path towards assimilation but a continuous negotiation within a diasporic space (Brah, 1996), where identity, belonging, and integration are deeply intertwined. This research contributes a nuanced, gendered perspective to migration studies, challenging deficit narratives by highlighting women’s resilience and agency. It offers insights for developing more effective and empathetic integration policies that support migrant women’s own aspirations and strategies for building a new life.
Keywords: home, host, belonging, identity, integration, migration, Afghan women, Stavanger
The Ethics of Listening and the Violence of Collecting: Reflexive Encounters from the Balkan Route
Guilherme Pereira Machado Vaz
Abstract
This report reflects on the ethical and epistemological dimensions of researching migration, drawing on insights developed during an internship at the Slovenian Migration Institute in Ljubljana. Rather than approaching the field merely as a site for data collection, it treats the internship experience itself as a space for learning, reflexivity, and ethical negotiation. The central research question asks how positionality and responsibility shape the production of knowledge along the Balkan Route. Drawing on qualitative and reflexive methods, the report examines three interrelated aspects of fieldwork: the researcher’s positionality, the ethics of listening, and the dilemmas surrounding the collection and archiving of material traces. These reflections reveal that research on migration is shaped by asymmetries of mobility, power, and representation. The findings suggest that ethical awareness in fieldwork cannot be reduced to procedural guidelines but must be understood as an ongoing, embodied practice of attentiveness, restraint, and accountability. Ultimately, the report argues that ethical research in contexts of mobility requires the capacity to listen without appropriating, to witness without collecting, and to recognise the limits of one’s authority. In doing so, it contributes to broader debates on decolonial, reflexive, and responsible approaches to knowledge production in migration studies.
Deskilling and Skills Mismatch: African Student-Migrants’ Experience in Southwestern Norway
Balewugieze Zemene Beza
Abstract
This paper examines how African student-migrants in Southwestern Norway navigate early trajectories of deskilling and skills mismatch while sustaining aspirations to remain in the country. Drawing on twelve semi-structured interviews conducted in Stavanger and analysed thematically through the aspirations–capabilities theoretical framework, the study shows that language requirements, employer uncertainty and discrimination, credential devaluation, and compressed visa timelines constrain the conversion of education into commensurate employment. In response, participants deploy capability-preserving strategies—accepting survival jobs, pursuing internships, and leveraging peer networks—to maintain legal stay and income and to attain a “Norwegian local experience,” even as these moves risk prolonging the mismatch. Among African students, rather than a passive “brain waste”, early overqualification on survival jobs (though causing a temporary or early deskilling) emerges as a strategy, a temporary sacrifice oriented towards long-term settlement, professional re-entry, or further study. The analysis showcases that students reframe staying in Norway, not as stagnation but as a temporal strategy of delayed cultural capital conversion. The analysis also highlights how policy instruments can better address the deskilling and skills mismatch—job-relevant language support, faster and easier credential recognition pathways, employer engagement, and relaxing post-study visa regulations and timelines—thereby shortening the survival-job phase and improving equitable labour market integration.
Keywords: deskilling, skills mismatch, African student-migrants, resilience and adaptation, labour market integration
Impacts of Climate-Induced Displacement on the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls Across South Asia
Lucía Fernández Ríos
Abstract
Climate change has become a major concern for today’s world due to both its ecological damage and its adverse impacts on humankind. Climate change is turning into a key driver of massive displacements of people, particularly in regions such as South Asia, where its effects are more pronounced. However, climate-induced displacement produces not only significant loss of livelihoods but also compounded challenges to the health of those affected by it. This paper examines the impacts that climate-induced displacement has on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), which are especially central for the well-being of women and girls as well as their realisation of further human rights. Through an exhaustive literature review, this paper compiles cases from South Asia that clearly illustrate the adverse effects of climate-induced displacement on women’s and girls’ access to and use of SRHR facilities and services, along with the broader consequences of such deprivation. As the number of climate-induced displacement crises is rising worldwide, this paper addresses a gap in the literature and emphasises the need to include SRHR as cross-cutting elements for gender equality within humanitarian and climate resilience strategies.
Climate Crisis, War, and Forced Migration: Realities in South and Southeast Asia
Isabela Velasco Pons
Abstract
This report demonstrates how climate change leads to various forms of forced migration in Southeast and South Asia, highlighting the differences between slow-onset and rapid-onset environmental events. The research reflects the growth of an academic journey, emerging from a set of basic questions regarding the relationship between climate change and human mobility. Drawing on case studies from my internship at the Asian Institute of Technology, the study discusses coastal erosion in Bangladesh, migration drivers, and labour migration patterns to Malaysia, often involving legal precarity and statelessness, and compares these with swift displacements caused by seismic events in Myanmar. As these questions were explored, they gave rise to increasingly complex inquiries. These cases expose the importance and systemic character of climate-driven forced displacement, showing that it cannot be seen as a standalone or separate result of ecological shifts. At the same time, the report also highlights the interaction between environmental factors, labour markets, legal status, and structural vulnerability in shaping migrants' lived experiences and long-term risks. Through these case studies, the report contributes to a broader understanding of climate-induced forced migration and its intersection with economic and political forms of displacement.
Skill Devaluation and the Role of Social Networks in the Labour Market Integration of Non-EU Immigrants in Norway
Marion Martins Antunes
Abstract
Human capital theory posits that an individual’s qualifications, skills, and experiences determine their access to employment opportunities. However, immigrants’ labour market experiences challenge this assumption, as many immigrants, despite holding high qualifications and extensive professional experience, find themselves in positions for which they are overqualified. Research on migrants’ labour market integration in Norway highlights persistent barriers that hinder the transferability of foreign human capital. Qualifications and work experience acquired abroad are often undervalued by both recognition authorities and employers, who tend to privilege credentials earned in Norway. Social capital, in the form of networks, has therefore emerged as an essential resource for accessing employment opportunities, providing alternative channels through which immigrants can demonstrate their skills and gain entry into the labour market. This paper draws on 29 interviews with non-EU immigrants residing in Norway, conducted through the Skills4Justice project at the University of Stavanger. The findings show that foreign qualifications are often devalued, leading to occupational downgrading, which can be reinforced by network-based employment concentrated in secondary labour market sectors. Norwegian qualifications are seen as bridges to better employment, while limited access to majority-group networks restricts upward mobility. These findings challenge human capital theory’s universalist assumptions by demonstrating the context-dependent, socially constructed value of capital.
Desvalorização das competências e o papel das redes sociais na integração no mercado de trabalho dos imigrantes não pertencentes à UE na Noruega
A teoria do capital humano postula que as qualificações, competências e experiências de um indivíduo determinam o seu acesso a oportunidades de emprego. No entanto, as experiências dos imigrantes no mercado de trabalho têm desafiado essa suposição, uma vez que, apesar de possuírem altas qualificações e vasta experiência profissional, muitos se encontram em cargos para os quais são sobrequalificados. A investigação sobre a integração dos migrantes no mercado de trabalho na Noruega destaca barreiras persistentes que dificultam a transferibilidade do capital humano estrangeiro. As qualificações e a experiência profissional adquiridas no estrangeiro são frequentemente subvalorizadas tanto pelas autoridades de reconhecimento como pelos empregadores, que tendem a privilegiar as credenciais obtidas na Noruega. O capital social, na forma de redes, surgiu, portanto, como um recurso essencial para o acesso a oportunidades de emprego, proporcionando canais alternativos através dos quais os imigrantes podem demonstrar as suas competências e entrar no mercado de trabalho. Este artigo baseia-se em 29 entrevistas com imigrantes de países não pertencentes à UE residentes na Noruega, realizadas através do projeto Skills4Justice da Universidade de Stavanger. Os resultados mostram que as qualificações estrangeiras são frequentemente desvalorizadas, levando a uma desvalorização profissional, que pode ser reforçada pelo emprego baseado em redes concentradas em setores secundários do mercado de trabalho. As qualificações norueguesas são vistas como pontes para melhores empregos, enquanto o acesso limitado às redes dos grupos majoritários restringe a mobilidade ascendente. Esses resultados desafiam as suposições universalistas da teoria do capital humano, demonstrando o valor do capital dependente do contexto e socialmente construído.
Transnational Academic Mobility and the Co-Production of Knowledge: Prospects and Challenges for Global South Academics in Germany
Zemenu Temesgen Ayalew
Abstract
According to studies measuring global academic output, Africa accounts for only 2% of the world's research output. In this context, the transnational mobility of academics is expected to play a key role in fostering collaboration among scholars from the Global South and the Global North in the knowledge production process. However, there is an ongoing debate among scholars regarding the role of South–North transnational academic mobility in either sustaining existing epistemic asymmetries or addressing epistemic injustices. Therefore, this study aims to explore the implications of transnational academic mobility for the co-production and decolonisation of knowledge in the context of Ethiopian academics at the University of Erfurt. Additionally, this study examines current trends, prospects, and challenges of transnational academic mobility from the Global South to the Global North. Using a qualitative approach and an ethnographic research design, this study collected data through various methods, including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and informal conversations. Thematic and content analysis techniques were employed to analyse the data. The findings reveal that the availability of infrastructure (libraries, internet, books), access to quality education, and the presence of well-trained professors across different disciplines in the Global North are driving an increase in transnational academic mobility from the Global South to the Global North. Moreover, socio-economic and political crises in the Global South contribute to this trend. Transnational academic mobility benefits scholars and institutions in both the Global South and the Global North. Regarding the decolonisation of knowledge production, the study found that transnational academics gain tools to decolonise knowledge. However, factors at the pre-migration, migration, and post-migration stages influence their involvement in the co-production of knowledge and decolonisation efforts. Overall, maximising the decolonisation potential of transnational academic mobility requires addressing structural inequalities among scholars and fostering effective partnerships between institutions in the Global South and the Global North.
Keywords: transnational mobility, coloniality, decoloniality, co-production of knowledge, Global South, Global North
Protagonismo to Childism: Interpreting Mexico’s Nueva Escuela Mexicana Reform Through Childist and Critical Interculturality Lenses
Vanessa Lorena Orozco Roca
Abstract
This report examines how Mexico’s Plan de Estudios 2022, based on the Nueva Escuela Mexicana (NEM) reform, incorporates childist principles when considered in conjunction with Latin American traditions of protagonismo infantiland the framework of critical interculturality. Methodologically, this study combined an internship at the Childism Institute with regional mapping of authors, centres, and networks, conducted a selective review of Spanish-language scholarship, and analysed the Plan de Estudios 2022 based on the NEM reform. The mapping identified key nodes in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil, as well as the influence of observatories and networks. The NEM case study highlights a notable shift in discourse. The reform officially recognises children as “sujetos de derechos” (subjects of rights) and “sujetos históricos” (historical subjects), redefines teachers as agents of change, and describes the community as a “núcleo integrador” (integrating core) of learning, guided by critical interculturality and consultation processes with Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples. These aspects align with both childism and protagonismo infantil. However, the commitments mostly remain aspirational. Participation is seen at the individual level rather than the collective, with no mandatory student/child-led councils, assemblies, or unions. Teachers’ autonomy is limited by centralised curricular control, and community participation is acknowledged but not legally guaranteed. Therefore, the reform advocates for inclusion without substantial redistribution of power. This report contributes to a dialogue between childism and protagonismo infantil. Findings suggest that the NEM incorporates childist principles at the discursive level but does not institutionalise the redistribution of power that protagonismo infantil aims for. The report contributes by bridging global childism with Latin American protagonismo infantil thought. From a self-reflexive perspective, the analysis is shaped by the researcher’s positionality as a Mexican and Spanish-speaking intern. Recognition without institutionalisation risks reinforcing adultist hierarchies. A viable path forward requires stable structures of protagonismo infantil linking schools, communities, and public policy, with implications not only for Mexico but also for Latin American and global debates on intergenerational justice.
A Necropolitical Examination of Migration and Security in the European Union: Media Narratives, Securitization, and the Human Costs of Border Governance
Gurbani Kaur
Abstract
This report critically examines the transformation of migration governance within the European Union over the past decade, with a focus on the securitisation of migration, the externalisation of border controls, and the weaponisation of migration as a political tool. It analyses how media narratives and political rhetoric constructed migration as a security threat, often linking migrants to crime and terrorism despite a lack of empirical evidence. Drawing on the theoretical framework of necropolitics, the report explores the human costs of EU policies, particularly in relation to the role of Frontex and the practice of pushbacks. It highlights how externalisation strategies have shifted migration management beyond EU borders, resulting in significant human rights violations and humanitarian crises, including detention abuses and increased migrant mortality. The report emphasises the ethical implications of prioritising state security over humanitarian considerations and calls for more cohesive and rights-based migration governance approaches in Europe.
Keywords: European Union, migration governance, securitisation of migration, externalisation of migration, weaponisation of migration, pushbacks, border control policies, necropolitics
From Return to Resilience: Strengthening Reintegration Through Entrepreneurship and Diaspora Partnerships in Sierra Leone
Elorm Aku Adih
Abstract
The reintegration of returnees into their countries of origin remains a critical challenge in post-conflict and migration-affected contexts, particularly in Sierra Leone, where high rates of youth unemployment and irregular migration exacerbate socioeconomic vulnerabilities. While training programmes in Sierra Leone have traditionally equipped returnees with essential vocational and entrepreneurial skills, evidence suggests that the absence of sustained enterprise support significantly limits their economic reintegration. Also, many training programmes lack follow-up mechanisms after initial training and are not complemented by robust monitoring frameworks. Limited access to affordable capital continues to hinder returnees, with grants or seed funds providing only temporary relief, and stakeholders struggle to connect returnees with sustainable financing options such as microcredit or formal banking. Furthermore, there is limited longitudinal research tracking the performance, sustainability, and resilience of returnee-owned micro and small enterprises (MSEs), including survival rates after 3 to 5 years, profitability trajectories, and adaptability to economic shocks.
To address these gaps, this study used qualitative research methods, such as analysing documents from existing reintegration programmes, conducting field observations, and consulting key stakeholders, including IOM staff, project managers, and relevant government agencies. These methods allowed for the identification of systemic gaps in enterprise support, the assessment of best practices from similar contexts, and the exploration of feasible, context-specific interventions. The research revealed that despite ongoing support from organisations such as IOM and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), reintegration efforts have largely been individualistic and fragmented, with many returnee-owned enterprises struggling to survive beyond initial grant funding. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone’s diaspora remains an underleveraged resource for strengthening returnee enterprises, particularly through the provision of technical skills, investment capital, and access to wider markets.
Based on the findings, a concept note was developed proposing an integrated, entrepreneurship-based intervention to promote long-term economic reintegration. The proposed project consolidates returnee achievements by providing tailored support to 30 returnee-owned MSEs and training 200 youth in market-relevant technical and entrepreneurial skills. Key components include access to seed funding and financial services, structured mentorship and networking with diaspora members, partnerships with microfinance institutions and incubators, and the establishment of a harmonized reintegration monitoring framework. The project also emphasises data collection and the development of a centralised digital database to track reintegration outcomes, enterprise performance, and employment generation, thereby addressing the current lack of longitudinal evidence.
By combining vocational and entrepreneurial training with financial, institutional, and diaspora-based support, the proposed project aligns with national development priorities, including Sierra Leone’s Medium Term National Development Plan 2024 to 2030, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2025 to 2030, and IOM’s Strategic Plan 2024 to 2028. The intervention demonstrates a replicable, evidence-based approach to promoting self-reliance, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods among returnees. The findings underscore the importance of long-term, multi-stakeholder interventions in addressing structural barriers to reintegration, offering practical guidance for policymakers, NGOs, and development partners in designing enterprise-focused reintegration programmes.
French Translation
La réintégration des rapatriés dans leur pays d’origine reste un défi majeur dans les contextes post-conflit et affectés par la migration, en particulier en Sierra Leone, où des taux élevés de chômage des jeunes et de migration irrégulière exacerbent les vulnérabilités socio-économiques. Bien que les programmes de formation en Sierra Leone aient traditionnellement permis aux rapatriés d’acquérir des compétences professionnelles et entrepreneuriales essentielles, les preuves suggèrent que l’absence d’un soutien durable aux entreprises limite considérablement leur réintégration économique. De plus, de nombreux programmes de formation manquent de mécanismes de suivi après la formation initiale et ne sont pas complétés par des cadres de suivi robustes. L’accès limité à des capitaux abordables continue de freiner les rapatriés, les subventions ou fonds de démarrage n’offrant qu’un soulagement temporaire, et les acteurs concernés peinent à connecter les rapatriés à des options de financement durables telles que le microcrédit ou les services bancaires formels. En outre, peu de recherches longitudinales suivent la performance, la durabilité et la résilience des micro et petites entreprises (MPE) détenues par les rapatriés, y compris leurs taux de survie après 3 à 5 ans, leurs trajectoires de rentabilité et leur capacité à s’adapter aux chocs économiques. Pour combler ces lacunes, cette étude a utilisé des méthodes de recherche qualitative, telles que l’analyse de documents de programmes de réintégration existants, des observations sur le terrain et des consultations avec des acteurs concernés, y compris le personnel de l’OIM, les chefs de projet et les agences gouvernementales concernées. Ces méthodes ont permis d’identifier les lacunes systémiques dans le soutien aux entreprises, d’évaluer les bonnes pratiques dans des contextes similaires et d’explorer des interventions faisables et spécifiques au contexte. La recherche a révélé que, malgré le soutien continu d’organisations telles que l’OIM et la Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), les efforts de réintégration restent largement individualisés et fragmentés, de nombreuses entreprises détenues par des rapatriés peinant à survivre au-delà des financements initiaux. Par ailleurs, la diaspora sierra-léonaise reste une ressource sous-exploitée pour renforcer les entreprises des rapatriés, notamment par la fourniture de compétences techniques, de capitaux d’investissement et d’accès à des marchés plus larges. Sur la base de ces résultats, une note conceptuelle a été élaborée pour proposer une intervention intégrée axée sur l’entrepreneuriat afin de promouvoir une réintégration économique à long terme. Le projet proposé consolide les acquis des rapatriés en offrant un soutien sur mesure à 30 MPE détenues par des rapatriés et en formant 200 jeunes aux compétences techniques et entrepreneuriales pertinentes pour le marché. Les composantes clés comprennent l’accès à des fonds de démarrage et à des services financiers, un mentorat structuré et la mise en réseau avec des membres de la diaspora, des partenariats avec des institutions de microfinance et des incubateurs, ainsi que la mise en place d’un cadre harmonisé de suivi de la réintégration. Le projet met également l’accent sur la collecte de données et le développement d’une base de données numérique centralisée pour suivre les résultats de la réintégration, la performance des entreprises et la création d’emplois, répondant ainsi au manque actuel de données longitudinales. En combinant formation professionnelle et entrepreneuriale avec un soutien financier, institutionnel et basé sur la diaspora, le projet proposé s’aligne sur les priorités nationales de développement, notamment le Plan National de Développement à Moyen Terme 2024-2030 de la Sierra Leone, le Cadre de Coopération pour le Développement Durable des Nations Unies 2025-2030 et le Plan Stratégique 2024-2028 de l’OIM. L’intervention démontre une approche reproductible et fondée sur des preuves pour promouvoir l’autonomie, la résilience et des moyens de subsistance durables chez les rapatriés. Les résultats soulignent l’importance d’interventions à long terme impliquant plusieurs acteurs concernés pour surmonter les obstacles structurels à la réintégration, offrant des orientations pratiques aux décideurs politiques, ONG et partenaires au développement pour concevoir des programmes de réintégration centrés sur l’entrepreneuriat.
Evaluating Norwegian Language Policy Effectiveness for International Students’ Workforce Integration: A Critical Policy Analysis
Morium Aktar Rubi
Abstract
This internship-based study critically examines how Norwegian language policy affects international students’ integration into the workforce after graduation. Using a qualitative, document-based research design, it focuses on the intersection of national language legislation, higher education policy, integration frameworks, and immigration regulations to assess whether existing policies provide meaningful support or primarily function as barriers when international students seek to remain and work in Norway. The analysis is guided by the research question of how Norwegian language policy shapes workforce integration after graduation. Two sub-questions further focus the study: Which mechanisms within Norwegian language policy relate to international students’ entry into the workforce? What barriers within Norwegian language policy hinder the integration of international students into the workforce? The conceptual framework combines a multilayer understanding of language policy with a linguistic gatekeeping perspective. The multilayer model treats language policy as articulated and interpreted across macro, meso, and micro levels, from national laws and white papers to institutional practices and everyday encounters. The gatekeeping lens views language requirements and tests as social instruments that regulate access to rights, residence, and employment and highlights the distinction between facilitative and restrictive uses of language policy. Together, these perspectives make it possible to trace how broad commitments to Norwegian as a societal and academic language translate into concrete opportunities or obstacles for international graduates. The study draws on official documents such as the Language Act, the Universities and University Colleges Act, white papers on internationalisation, NOU reports on integration, guidelines from the Norwegian Language Council, immigration regulations from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, and monitoring reports from the Directorate of Integration and Diversity and Statistics Norway. Relevant sections of Norwegian-language documents were translated into English by the researcher for analysis. The material was coded for policy mechanisms and barriers related to language and employment, and then interpreted in light of the conceptual framework and the internship context in Norway. The findings show that Norwegian language policy is normatively strong but structurally uneven for international students. At the macro level, policy sends a clear message that Norwegian is essential for participation in Norwegian society and sets explicit thresholds for long-term residence and citizenship. However, international students are not recognised as a distinct target group in integration and language-training policy and therefore fall between higher education internationalisation regimes and migration and integration regimes. At the institutional level, universities and sectoral actors possess tools that could support Norwegian language learning and workplace exposure, and some programmes have developed structured internships and collaborations with employers. These initiatives remain optional and uneven. At the point of labour market entry, language requirements and employers’ demands for good Norwegian often operate as restrictive gates rather than integrated ladders. Overall, Norwegian language policy clearly communicates expectations and establishes firm linguistic thresholds, but it only partially enables the integration of international students into the workforce. For many, the policy framework functions more as a conditional opportunity structure than as a reliable support system: successful integration depends heavily on individual resources and on whether or not institutions and employers develop and activate the supportive potential of existing policy instruments.
Keywords: Norwegian language policy, international students, workforce integration, higher education, integration policy, linguistic gatekeeping
Strengthening Multi-Sectoral SGBV Response and Protection Systems for Migrant Women in Sierra Leone
Margret Leomy
Abstract
This study examines the intersection of labour migration, gender, and human trafficking by analysing the vulnerabilities of Sierra Leonean women migrating through state-sanctioned domestic work pathways, particularly under the kafala system. Drawing on a three-month internship with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sierra Leone, the study challenges dominant narratives that associate trafficking primarily with irregular migration, demonstrating instead that women migrating through legal state-sanctioned pathways remain disproportionately vulnerable to trafficking, labour exploitation, and gender-based violence.
Through bilateral labour agreements, the government of Sierra Leone facilitates women’s migration to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for domestic work. While these frameworks are intended to ensure employment opportunities through safe migration, findings reveal persistent patterns of abuse, including sexual exploitation, passport confiscation, debt bondage, wage withholding, physical violence, confinement, and threats of deportation. Between 2022 and 2024, the International Organization for Migration recorded the return of over 500 Sierra Leonean women from Lebanon due to violence and exploitation, despite their departure through official channels. At the national level, migrant women remain invisible within Sierra Leone’s gender and labour protection frameworks. As they are excluded from legal protections, bilateral safety nets, and recovery services that other SGBV survivors receive, returnees and survivors are left with no access to justice, reintegration, or psychosocial support.
This study identifies four interrelated drivers of vulnerability: limited recognition of trafficking within legal migration pathways; structural dependency under the kafala system; exploitative practices resembling debt bondage; and weak state monitoring and post-departure protection mechanisms. Using a qualitative, practice-based methodology combining policy analysis and experiential learning within UNDP’s Governance Cluster, the research highlights a critical governance gap in migration management. It concludes that effective migration governance must explicitly integrate migrant women into legal and protection systems to prevent exploitation and promote dignity, justice, and inclusive development.
French Translation
Renforcement Des Systèmes Multisectoriels De Réponse Et De Protection Contre Les Violences Sexuelles Et Sexistes À L'égard Des Femmes Migrantes En Sierra Leone
Ce stage de recherche examine l'intersection entre migration de travail, genre et traite des êtres humains en analysant la vulnérabilité des Sierra-Léonaises migrant par le biais de filières de travail domestique autorisées par l'État, notamment dans le cadre du système de la kafala. S'appuyant sur un stage de trois mois au Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD) en Sierra Leone, l'étude remet en question les idées reçues qui associent la traite principalement à la migration irrégulière, démontrant au contraire que les femmes migrant légalement restent particulièrement vulnérables à la traite, à l'exploitation par le travail et aux violences sexistes.
Par le biais d'accords bilatéraux de travail, le gouvernement sierra-léonais facilite la migration des femmes vers la région Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord (MENA) pour le travail domestique. Bien que ces cadres visent à garantir des opportunités d'emploi grâce à une migration sûre, les résultats révèlent des formes persistantes d'abus, notamment l'exploitation sexuelle, la confiscation des passeports, la servitude pour dettes, le non-paiement des salaires, les violences physiques, la séquestration et les menaces d'expulsion. Entre 2022 et 2024, l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) a recensé le retour de plus de 500 Sierra-Léonaises du Liban, victimes de violences et d’exploitation, malgré leur départ par les voies officielles.
L’étude identifie quatre facteurs de vulnérabilité interdépendants : la reconnaissance insuffisante de la traite des personnes dans les circuits migratoires légaux ; la dépendance structurelle liée au système de la kafala ; des pratiques d’exploitation assimilables à la servitude pour dettes ; et la faiblesse des mécanismes de contrôle et de protection post-départ mis en place par l’État.
Au niveau national, les femmes migrantes demeurent invisibles dans les dispositifs de protection de l’égalité des sexes et du travail en Sierra Leone. Exclues des protections juridiques, des filets de sécurité bilatéraux et des services de réinsertion dont bénéficient les autres victimes de violences sexuelles et sexistes, les rapatriées et les survivantes n’ont accès ni à la justice, ni à la réintégration, ni à un soutien psychosocial.
S’appuyant sur une méthodologie qualitative et pratique, combinant analyse des politiques et apprentissage par l’expérience au sein du Groupe Gouvernance du PNUD, la recherche met en lumière une lacune critique en matière de gouvernance des migrations. Elle conclut qu’une gouvernance migratoire efficace doit intégrer explicitement les femmes migrantes aux systèmes juridiques et de protection afin de prévenir l’exploitation et de promouvoir la dignité, la justice et un développement inclusif.
Krio Translation
Strɛngthɛn Di Mɔlti-Sɛktɔral SGBV Rispɔns Ɛn Protɛkshɔn Sistɛm Fɔ Migrant Uman Dɛn Na Siera Liɔn
Dis intanshɔp risach de ɛgzamin di intasekshɔn bitwin leba maykreshɔn, jɛnɛral, ɛn pipul trafik bay we dɛn de analayz di vulnerabiliti dɛm fɔ Siera Liɔn uman dɛm we de muv tru di stet-sankshɔn domestik wok path dɛm, mɔ ɔnda di kafala sistɛm. We dɛn tek tri mɔnt intanshɔp wit di Yunaytɛd Neshɔn Divɛlɔpmɛnt Program (UNDP) na Siera Liɔn, di stɔdi de chalenj di dominant narratives we de asɔsiet trafik mɔ wit irɛgyula maykreshɔn, we de sho insted se uman dɛn we de muv tru di ligal stet-sankshɔn rod dɛn stil de disproportionately vulnerable to trafik, leba ɛksplɔyshɔn, ɛn jɛnɛral-based vaylɛns.
Tru baylatarɛl leba agrimɛnt, di gɔvmɛnt na Siera Liɔn de mek am izi fɔ uman dɛn fɔ muf go na di Midul Is ɛn Nɔt Afrika (MENA) rijɔn fɔ du wok na os. Pan ɔl we dɛn fɔm dɛn ya na fɔ mek shɔ se dɛn gɛt wok tru sef maykreshɔn, di tin dɛn we dɛn dɔn fɛn de sho di we aw pipul dɛn de du bad tin to pipul dɛn ɔltɛm, lɛk fɔ du mami ɛn dadi biznɛs wit ɔda pipul dɛn, fɔ tek paspɔt, fɔ mek dɛn gɛt dɛt, fɔ kip dɛn pe, fɔ du bad bad tin to pɔsin, fɔ de na jel, ɛn fɔ trɛtin fɔ mek dɛn kɛr dɛn go na ɔda kɔntri. Bitwin 2022 ɛn 2024, di Intanɛshɔnal Ɔganayzeshɔn fɔ Maygrɛshɔn bin rayt se pas 500 Siera Liɔn uman dɛn we kɔmɔt na Libanɔn kam bak bikɔs ɔf fɛt-fɛt ɛn pipul dɛn we dɛn bin de yuz dɛn fɔ du bad, pan ɔl we dɛn bin de kɔmɔt tru ɔfishal chanɛl dɛn.
Di stɔdi dɔn sho 4 drayva dɛn we gɛt fɔ du wit dɛnsɛf we de mek pipul dɛn nɔ gɛt bɛtɛ tin fɔ du: di limited rɛkɔgnishɔn fɔ trafik insay di ligal maykreshɔn path dɛm; strכkchכral dipεndεns כnda di kafala sistεm; di we aw pipul dɛn de yuz pipul dɛn fɔ du bad tin dɛn we tan lɛk dɛt slev; ɛn wik stet monitarin ɛn post-diparture protɛkshɔn mɛkanism.
Na di nashɔnal lɛvɛl, uman dɛn we de kɔmɔt na ɔda kɔntri fɔ kam de na di kɔntri stil de we pipul dɛn nɔ de si insay Siera Liɔn in jɔnda ɛn leba protɛkshɔn fɔm. Bikɔs dɛn nɔ de tek dɛn pan di ligal protɛkshɔn, baylatarɛl sefty nɛt, ɛn rikavari savis we ɔda pipul dɛn we dɔn sev frɔm SGBV kin gɛt, di wan dɛn we dɔn kam bak ɛn di wan dɛn we dɔn sev nɔ gɛt akses to jɔstis, riintagreshɔn, ɔ saykososial sɔpɔt.
Yuz wan kwalitatif, prɛktis-bɛs mɛtodɔlɔji we de kɔba polisi analisis ɛn ɛkspiriɛnshal lanin insay UNDP’s Gɔvmɛnt Klasta, di risach de sho wan impɔtant gɔvmɛnt gap pan maykreshɔn manejmɛnt. I dɔn tɔk se ifektiv maykreshɔn gɔvmɛnt fɔ intagret migrant uman dɛn klia wan insay ligal ɛn protɛkshɔn sistɛm fɔ mek dɛn nɔ yuz dɛn ɛn fɔ mek dɛn gɛt rɛspɛkt, jɔstis, ɛn divɛlɔpmɛnt we ɔlman gɛt.
Hindi Translation
सिएरा लियोन में प्रवासी महिलाओं के लिए मल्टी-सेक्टोरल Sgbv रिस्पॉन्स और प्रोटेक्शन सिस्टम को मज़बूत करना
यह इंटर्नशिप रिसर्च, लेबर माइग्रेशन, जेंडर और ह्यूमन ट्रैफिकिंग के मेल की जांच करती है। इसमें सिएरा लियोन की महिलाओं की कमज़ोरियोंका एनालिसिस किया गया है, जो सरकार से मंज़ूर घरेलू काम के रास्तों से माइग्रेट करती हैं, खासकर कफ़ाला सिस्टम के तहत। सिएरा लियोनमें यूनाइटेड नेशंस डेवलपमेंट प्रोग्राम (UNDP) के साथ तीन महीने की इंटर्नशिप के आधार पर, यह स्टडी उन आम बातों को चुनौती देती है जोट्रैफिकिंग को मुख्य रूप से अनियमित माइग्रेशन से जोड़ती हैं, और इसके बजाय यह दिखाती है कि सरकार से मंज़ूर कानूनी रास्तों से माइग्रेटकरने वाली महिलाएं ट्रैफिकिंग, लेबर एक्सप्लॉइटेशन और जेंडर-बेस्ड हिंसा के लिए बहुत ज़्यादा कमज़ोर रहती हैं।
दोनों देशों के लेबर एग्रीमेंट के ज़रिए, सिएरा लियोन की सरकार घरेलू काम के लिए मिडिल ईस्ट और नॉर्थ अफ्रीका (MENA) इलाके मेंमहिलाओं के माइग्रेशन को आसान बनाती है। हालांकि इन फ्रेमवर्क का मकसद सुरक्षित माइग्रेशन के ज़रिए रोज़गार के मौके पक्का करना है, लेकिन नतीजों से यौन शोषण, पासपोर्ट ज़ब्त करना, कर्ज़ का बंधन, सैलरी रोकना, शारीरिक हिंसा, कैद करना और देश से निकालने कीधमकियों सहित गलत इस्तेमाल के लगातार पैटर्न का पता चलता है। 2022 और 2024 के बीच, इंटरनेशनल ऑर्गनाइज़ेशन फ़ॉर माइग्रेशन नेरिकॉर्ड किया कि हिंसा और शोषण की वजह से 500 से ज़्यादा सिएरा लियोन की महिलाएं लेबनान से वापस लौटीं, जबकि वे ऑफिशियलतरीकों से गई थीं।
स्टडी में कमज़ोरी के चार आपस में जुड़े कारणों की पहचान की गई है: कानूनी माइग्रेशन रास्तों में ट्रैफिकिंग की कम पहचान; कफ़ाला सिस्टम केतहत स्ट्रक्चरल डिपेंडेंसी; कर्ज़ के बंधन जैसी शोषण वाली प्रथाएं; और कमज़ोर सरकारी मॉनिटरिंग और जाने के बाद सुरक्षा के तरीके।
नेशनल लेवल पर, माइग्रेंट महिलाएं सिएरा लियोन के जेंडर और लेबर प्रोटेक्शन फ्रेमवर्क में गायब रहती हैं। कानूनी सुरक्षा, बाइलेटरल सेफ्टीनेट और रिकवरी सर्विस से बाहर होने के कारण, जो दूसरे SGBV सर्वाइवर को मिलती हैं, लौटने वालों और सर्वाइवर को न्याय, रीइंटीग्रेशन यासाइकोसोशल सपोर्ट तक कोई एक्सेस नहीं मिलता है।
UNDP के गवर्नेंस क्लस्टर के अंदर पॉलिसी एनालिसिस और एक्सपीरिएंशियल लर्निंग को मिलाकर एक क्वालिटेटिव, प्रैक्टिस-बेस्डमेथडोलॉजी का इस्तेमाल करते हुए, रिसर्च माइग्रेशन मैनेजमेंट में एक ज़रूरी गवर्नेंस गैप को हाईलाइट करती है। इसका नतीजा यह है किअसरदार माइग्रेशन गवर्नेंस को माइग्रेंट महिलाओं को कानूनी और सुरक्षा सिस्टम में साफ़ तौर पर शामिल करना चाहिए ताकि शोषण को रोकाजा सके और सम्मान, न्याय और सबको साथ लेकर चलने वाले विकास को बढ़ावा दिया जा सके।
A Reflection Piece on Understanding Thematic Analysis From a Beginner’s Perspective
Ifrat Jahan (Elora)
Abstract
This paper is a reflective analytical piece based on my internship experience at the Childism Institute. The internship was a mandatory component of the third semester of my master’s programme in migration and intercultural relations, designed to provide practical research experience aligned with the academic curriculum. The main task of my internship was to learn how to conduct a thematic analysis using resources available on the Childism Institute website. The Childism Institute is one of the leading research programmes that works at the international and institutional level on childism across theory and practice. It is also a platform where childism-related articles are displayed. My research focused on answering the following questions: What kinds of themes are emerging in the existing literature across different areas of childism studies? What are the key research questions being asked, and what methods and analytical approaches are used to explore them? At first, I addressed these questions by conducting a thematic analysis, comparing the education-related articles found in the resource section of the Childism Institute website. It provided a comparative view of what kind of knowledge is being produced and discussed in the context of education and childism. To identify the key themes, this paper explored the main research questions and methods of various types of documents such as journal articles, blog posts, and edited books. This comparative thematic analysis was conducted with the assistance of NotebookLM, an AI-powered research tool. To learn more and fulfill the task of understanding thematic analysis, I went through a self-review process in which I critically assessed my own writing. My aim was to share my understanding of thematic analysis and show what it feels like for a beginner to start their thematic analysis journey. I reflect on my thought process and the challenges I faced while writing this paper. This reflection may help pedagogues better understand the experiences of student research enthusiasts. This paper consists of three parts. The first part presents my analysis of the education section. The second part offers a comprehensive literature review of thematic analysis and explains my understanding of it. The third part is a critical evaluation of my own writing from the first section, based on insights gained from the literature review.
Exploring Belonging and Resilience: The Role of Music Festivals in the Tigrayan Migrant Community in Frankfurt, Germany
Gebregwergs Teklay Kidanemariam
Abstract
Identity is a psychosocial construct developed through social processes. Arts and music festivals organised by migrant communities catalyse the formation and shaping of identities, serve as strategies for expressing a sense of belonging, and foster resilience. Tigrayan migrant communities in Frankfurt use music festivals to construct identity, express belonging, and foster resilience. During the Tigray war (2020–2022), music festivals served as the main social events for articulating ethnic identity and the politics of belonging amid homeland conflict. Drawing on a qualitative approach that combines critical discourse analysis, content analysis, and limited participant observation, the research examines three major music festivals—Ashenda, Mekete Tigray, and Festival Tegaru in Europe—as key cultural social gatherings where ethnic identity is constructed and expressed and where belonging is performed among the Tigrayan migrant community. The study delves into how these festivals mediate migrants’ experiences of belonging amid transnational living. The findings indicate that, though Ashenda is an annually celebrated religious event in Tigrayan society, during the war in Tigray, the organisers and attendees use it as a manifestation of Tigrayan socio-cultural identity. Mekete Tigray embodies a sense of belonging and was effectively utilised for mobilising resources and political support, overcoming social isolation, and combating depression. The Tegaru Festival in Europe fosters social integration and intercultural interaction through a range of events. During the Ashenda music festival, traditional Habesha dress, cultural dance, and countryside music in Tigrigna emerge as expressions of identity. In Tigrayan migrant communities, music festivals also serve as platforms for social support and the building of transnational solidarity networks, fostering a sense of belonging and community resilience in the face of conflict-induced collective trauma. Although identity is a fluid and malleable concept that can be constructed, deconstructed, and negotiated across time and place, Tigrayan migrants still tend to focus on retaining the ethnic aspect of collective identity in the processes of transience, integration, or adaptation to the new dynamics of the socio-cultural environment. During the Tigray war, migrants used music festival events as significant modes of ethnic identification, expressions of belonging, and avenues for building social support. Music events function as a critical instrument for creating ethnic consciousness and maintaining identity, building resilience, and coping with conflict-induced trauma in migrant communities.
Keywords: migrant community, Tigray, identity, belonging, resilience, music festivals
From Quiet Preservation to Active Negotiation: A Photovoice Study of Intergenerational Vietnamese Social Space in the Czech Republic
Thu Tra Phung
Abstract
The Vietnamese community represents the third-largest group of migrants in the Czech Republic, with nearly 70,000 legal residents as of 2025. Their migration history dates back to the 1950s through mutual support programmes between the Czechoslovak and Vietnamese socialist governments. As a minority, the Vietnamese are generally perceived as economically well off, yet socially segregated. Early research tended to treat this community as homogeneous; however, recent scholarship has shifted focus towards the second generation (G2), particularly regarding their identity formation.
This study was conducted during an internship at Viet Up—a non-profit organisation led by G2 Vietnamese, aiming to connect young Vietnamese with their roots and promote the community to the wider Czech public. Initial fieldwork within the organisation revealed a disconnect between the first generation (G1) and G2, leading to research on how different generations of Vietnamese in Czechia experience their social space. This study employed a community-led research approach, using the photovoice method to capture the lived experiences of community members.
A central methodological finding was the uniform reluctance of G1 to participate, which represented their survival strategy through quiet preservation. Reflected through the narrative of the G2, the G1’s social space appeared limited to a private, co-ethnic sphere centred on economic stability and invisibility. Meanwhile, G2’s social space represented their active negotiation between Czech and Vietnamese worlds, pointing to a generational shift in representation. G2 individuals contest dominant stereotypes and construct their hybrid identity, effectively redefining what it means to be Vietnamese in Czechia today. The findings suggest that future research should use a more sensitive approach to capture the voices of G1 respectfully.
Comparing Critical and Rooted Cosmopolitanisms: Implications for Migrant Belonging in Europe and Africa
Sayed Mustafa Zamani
Abstract
This paper examines how critical and rooted cosmopolitanisms illuminate the politics of migrant belonging across contrasting regional contexts. While cosmopolitanism is often invoked as a universal ethic of global solidarity, its meanings and applications remain deeply contested, particularly within migration and refugee governance. Through a comparative conceptual analysis, the study juxtaposes debates on integration and belonging in Germany, a core site of Europe’s post-2015 “refugee crisis”, with the lived realities of protracted refugee settlements in East Africa, such as Nakivale and Kakuma. It draws on foundational theoretical work on cosmopolitanism and belonging (Appiah, 2006; Delanty, 2009; Fine, 2007; Werbner, 2006), alongside empirical literature on migration governance and everyday practices of coexistence. This framework allows for a nuanced exploration of inclusion, exclusion, and agency under conditions of global inequality. The analysis shows that critical cosmopolitanism exposes the structural and colonial hierarchies that delimit who can belong. In contrast, rooted cosmopolitanism captures the ethical and affective practices through which displaced people negotiate plural attachments. By bringing these perspectives into dialogue through the lens of belonging, the paper advances the notion of a reflexive cosmopolitanism of belonging—a synthesis that integrates critique with care, universality with locality, and global ethics with lived experience. This reconceptualisation contributes to ongoing efforts to decolonise cosmopolitan theory and to reimagine migration not as a crisis of borders but as a field of relational and ethical possibility.
Analysing Intersectional Vulnerabilities and Systemic Exploitation of Ethiopian Domestic Workers in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
Anonymous
Abstract
This paper examines the intersecting vulnerabilities and systemic abuse experienced by Ethiopian migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Using a qualitative, desk-based approach, the study analyses academic literature, legal and policy documents, and reports from international organisations, NGOs, and Ethiopian and international media published between 2015 and 2025. Guided by intersectionality and postcolonial theoretical frameworks, the study explores how gender, race, class, nationality, and legal status intersect with migration regimes to shape differentiated patterns of exploitation. The findings show that Ethiopian women occupy a particularly precarious position within the GCC’s feminised and privatised domestic work sector. They endure cumulative harms, including wage theft, excessive working hours, isolation, passport confiscation, and high levels of physical, sexual, and psychological violence. These abuses are enabled by the kafala sponsorship system, the exclusion or only partial inclusion of domestic work in labour legislation, exploitative and highly financialised recruitment processes, significant barriers to justice, and the structural invisibility of the household as a workplace. Comparative evidence indicates that Ethiopian domestic workers often face longer hours, weaker consular support, and harsher sanctions than some South and Southeast Asian workers, underscoring the role of racialised and nationality-based hierarchies. The paper argues that these patterns are not exceptional but structurally produced, reflecting enduring postcolonial divisions of labour that position African women as cheap and disposable caregivers. It concludes that meaningful reform requires decoupling residency from employer control, fully integrating domestic work into labour law, eliminating recruitment-fee debt, decriminalising “absconding”, improving access to justice, and strengthening Ethiopia’s pre-departure protections, diplomatic engagement, and reintegration support.
The Intercultural Bridge: A Critical Analysis of Coordination and Communication in Volunteer-Led Youth Work With Marginalised Communities
Waliyilah Adetope Oyesomi
Abstract
This study critically examines the dynamics of coordination and communication in volunteer-led youth work projects that engage marginalised communities within the European context. Situated at the intersection of intercultural education, postcolonial critique, and organisational management, the research interrogates how operational mechanisms—specifically communication and coordination—either reinforce or challenge systemic inequities within the third sector. The inquiry is driven by a recognition that while international volunteerism is often framed as a form of intercultural solidarity, it can also reproduce neo-colonial hierarchies and saviourist narratives that obscure local agency. Drawing on my internship experience at Egyesek Youth Association in Budapest, Hungary—an organisation working with minority children and international volunteers—the research situates these debates within the lived realities of youth work coordination and intercultural exchange.
Employing a critical interpretivist paradigm, the study undertakes a qualitative documentary and content analysis of secondary sources, including peer-reviewed academic literature, policy reports from the European Commission and UNESCO, and NGO project manuals. The analysis is guided by postcolonial theory (Mohan, 2008; Spivak, 1988), intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997), and third-sector management theory (Lewis, 2007). The study used Braun and Clarke’s (2006) reflexive thematic analysis to code and synthesize the documents, identifying recurring patterns that explain how intercultural power relations and management structures intersect in volunteer-led contexts.
The findings identify three major themes. First, the construction of the “ideal volunteer” in policy and training discourse reflects a depoliticised understanding of intercultural learning, emphasising adaptability and enthusiasm over reflexivity and critical engagement. This “preparedness gap” undermines volunteers’ ability to navigate power dynamics and to engage ethically with communities. Second, coordination architectures within NGOs are often shaped by donor accountability mechanisms—particularly logical framework models—that prioritise measurable efficiency over relational and participatory processes. However, alternative models emphasising co-creation and shared decision-making have emerged in some youth organisations, offering a more ethical and inclusive framework. Third, communication practices—both internal and external—often reproduce imbalances of power through digital exclusion and problematic narratives.
This research concludes that coordination and communication should not be treated as neutral administrative functions but as sites of ethical and political practice. Effective intercultural engagement requires organisations to embed critical pedagogy and reflexive dialogue into their training, communication, and management systems. The study proposes several practical and policy-level recommendations: the adoption of participatory co-design frameworks, the development of ethical storytelling guidelines, and reforms to donor criteria to reward critical reflection and inclusivity over mere deliverables. By synthesising theoretical insights and applied perspectives, this research contributes to ongoing debates in international youth work, intercultural education, and NGO ethics. It underscores the necessity of reimagining volunteer-led interventions not as acts of charity but as collaborative intercultural partnerships rooted in shared learning, accountability, and mutual respect.
Keywords: international volunteerism, intercultural communication, coordination, marginalised communities, postcolonial critique, youth work, NGO management, Egyesek Youth Association
Mapping African Diaspora Space-Making in Ljubljana: Agency, Belonging, and Roles
Bantayehu Demissew Eneyew
Abstract
This qualitative case study examines African diasporic community spaces in Ljubljana, Slovenia, focusing on their role in shaping the sociocultural lived experiences, sense of belonging, and transnational practices of the diaspora, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by members of the African diaspora in creating community spaces. The study maps key African diaspora spaces, drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, participant observation, and document analysis. The findings reveal that African diaspora spaces in Ljubljana function as: hubs for community building, support, cultural expression and visibility; economic and cultural entrepreneurship; and transnational religious networking. The study also finds that the major challenges in creating and sustaining African diaspora spaces include internal fragmentation within the diaspora, stereotyping and misrepresentation of the diaspora, and inadequate institutional and financial support. At the same time, Ljubljana's developing multicultural environment and revived diplomatic engagement with African countries offer opportunities for the African diaspora to collaborate, gain visibility, and counter negative narratives about Africa and its diaspora in Slovenia. The study concludes that, despite their relatively small numbers and the challenges faced, the African diaspora in Ljubljana actively exercises agency and negotiates belonging through the process of space-making. Finally, the study suggests the need for longitudinal research and a more in-depth examination of transnational religious networks and flows of African religious practices within African-led churches in Slovenia.
Keywords: African diaspora, diaspora space-making, transnationalism, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Community Centres as Sites of Integration: The Role of KoCeRo in Supporting Romani Children in Český Krumlov
Gabriela Rubiano Polanco
Abstract
This report explores how integration is enacted beyond state frameworks through a case study of KoCeRo, a community centre supporting Romani children in Český Krumlov. While state policies formally promote inclusion, Roma communities continue to face systemic discrimination, particularly within education, where segregation and low expectations are still persistent barriers. Based on two and a half months of observation and conversations with KoCeRo’s social workers, this study looks at how the centre functions as an accessible space where Romani children can receive help with schoolwork, take part in leisure activities, and spend time in an environment that feels safe (something they often lack in other institutions). The findings show that the community centre offers important forms of support, especially through the relationships children build with the staff and the opportunities they have to participate in daily activities. At the same time, the study also points to the limits of the centre’s work, such as little involvement of parents and the ways in which certain stereotypes can still appear, even in well-intentioned settings. Overall, the report argues that community initiatives like KoCeRo are crucial, though not sufficient on their own, for addressing the deeper inequalities that shape the lives of Roma youth.
Bridging Worlds: Attitudes Towards English as a Mediating Language Among Migrant Students Learning Norwegian – A Pilot Study
Madison Kelly
Abstract
This report presents a pilot study that examines the role of English as a bridge or mediating language in Norwegian language classrooms for adult migrants. The qualitative study sits at the intersection of debates on translanguaging, linguistic hierarchies, and language ideologies in migration contexts, and explores how the use of English influences learner motivation, identity construction, and individual perception of belonging. Though Norwegian is frequently positioned as the primary language of integration in Norway, English functions as a practical tool in classrooms where the learners’ native languages are diverse and mutually unintelligible. However, the implications of this use remain under-researched; the perspectives of the migrant students themselves on the linguistic makeup of their education are rarely considered. Drawing on three semi-structured interviews with adult migrants living in Norway, each with their own distinct background and level of English proficiency, this study examines their attitudes towards English in Norwegian instruction. The research was informed by theories of translanguaging (García & Wei, 2014), linguistic capital (Bourdieu, 1991), global English (Canagarajah, 2013), and the notion of the “good migrant” (Anderson, 2013). The analysis reveals that English operates as both a mediating and stratifying resource. For students with high English proficiency, it facilitated comprehension, participation, and confidence, while for students who were less comfortable in English, it introduced additional barriers to social inclusion and participation in the classroom. The study highlights the widespread and layered presence of English in Norway, and the complications this begets for a migrant’s sense of belonging. As a pilot study, the research provides preliminary insights into the non-neutral role of English within language education and offers a foundation for a forthcoming master’s thesis that incorporates classroom observation and further qualitative research.
The Invisible Practice of Integration: Migrant Children as Cultural and Linguistic Brokers in Norway
Justine Angelica A. Orbe
Abstract
The study examines how migrant children’s linguistic and cultural brokering shapes their migration experiences and family integration in Norway. Drawing from the theoretical framework of the new sociology of childhood (James & Prout, 2005), language brokering theory (Bauer, 2015; Hall & Sham, 2007), and Berry’s (1997) acculturation model, the study positions children not as dependants but as agentic social actors who accumulate and utilise their linguistic, cultural, and institutional capital. Using a qualitative, interpretative design, the study examines two oral history interviews from the University of Stavanger’s Memory Bank Project, focusing on two first-generation migrants who arrived in Norway as children. Findings show that the children’s early and intensive immersion in the Norwegian educational context enabled rapid language acquisition. These competencies, combined with regular peer interaction and institutional exposure, produced a level of cultural and linguistic fluency that differed from that of their parents, positioning the children as those ‘in the know’. Brokering within these narratives appears as structural and future-oriented rather than episodic and isolated, highlighting how migrant children’s linguistic and institutional knowledge plays an under-recognised but pivotal role in shaping family integration in Norway.
Keywords: migrant children, language brokering, integration, Norway, hybrid identities
Collective Memory and Storytelling of Somali Migrants in Stavanger: Using Memory Bank Narratives to Construct Identity and Belonging
Suraya Mohammed
Abstract
This research explores how collective memory and storytelling contribute to the construction and negotiation of identity and belonging among Somali migrants in Stavanger, Norway. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of oral history interviews from the Memory Bank Project at the University of Stavanger, the study examines narrative strategies, thematic patterns, and memory practices employed by Somali migrants to articulate their experiences of displacement, adaptation, and integration. Guided by collective memory theory and narrative identity theory, this research reveals that Somali migrants use storytelling to maintain continuity with homeland memories, process trauma, foster intergenerational understanding, resist discrimination, and assert belonging within Norwegian society. The analysis of Memory Bank interviews identified five major themes: pre-migration memories and homeland nostalgia, displacement trauma and survival narratives, settlement challenges and adaptation strategies, cultural and religious identity preservation, and intergenerational transmission and second-generation experiences. Findings demonstrate that memory work functions as active mnemonic labour, a politically significant practice through which Somali migrants challenge exclusionary narratives and perform memory citizenship. The study concludes that integration policies must recognise the cultural and psychological dimensions of belonging, incorporating migrant narratives into educational curricula, policy frameworks, and community-building initiatives. The paper offers recommendations for policymakers, educators, memory project facilitators, and researchers, emphasising participatory approaches, trauma-informed practices, and sustained investment in platforms that amplify migrant voices.
Mémoire collective et récits des migrants somaliens à Stavanger : utiliser les récits de la banque de mémoire pour construire l’identité et le sentiment d’appartenance
Cette recherche explore comment la mémoire collective et le récit contribuent à la construction et à la négociation de l'identité et du sentiment d'appartenance chez les migrants somaliens à Stavanger, en Norvège. S'appuyant sur une analyse qualitative d'entretiens d'histoire orale menés dans le cadre du projet « Banque de mémoires » de l'Université de Stavanger, l'étude examine les stratégies narratives, les schémas thématiques et les pratiques mémorielles employés par les migrants somaliens pour exprimer leurs expériences de déplacement, d'adaptation et d'intégration. Guidée par la théorie de la mémoire collective et la théorie de l'identité narrative, cette recherche révèle que les migrants somaliens utilisent le récit pour maintenir la continuité avec la mémoire de leur pays d'origine, surmonter les traumatismes, favoriser la compréhension intergénérationnelle, résister à la discrimination et affirmer leur appartenance à la société norvégienne. L'analyse des entretiens de la Banque de mémoires a permis d'identifier cinq thèmes principaux : les souvenirs d'avant la migration et la nostalgie du pays d'origine, le traumatisme du déplacement et les récits de survie, les difficultés d'installation et les stratégies d'adaptation, la préservation de l'identité culturelle et religieuse, et la transmission intergénérationnelle et les expériences de la deuxième génération. Les résultats démontrent que ce travail de mémoire constitue un travail mnésique actif, une pratique politiquement significative par laquelle les migrants somaliens contestent les récits d'exclusion et exercent une citoyenneté mémorielle. L’étude conclut que les politiques d’intégration doivent prendre en compte les dimensions culturelles et psychologiques du sentiment d’appartenance, en intégrant les récits des migrants dans les programmes scolaires, les cadres politiques et les initiatives de développement communautaire. L’article formule des recommandations à l’intention des décideurs politiques, des éducateurs, des animateurs de projets de mémoire et des chercheurs, en insistant sur les approches participatives, les pratiques tenant compte des traumatismes et un investissement soutenu dans les plateformes qui amplifient la voix des migrants.
Tunawa da labarin 'yan gudun hijirar Somaliya a Stavanger: amfani da labaran da aka tattara daga bankin tunawa don gina asali da kuma jin daɗin kasancewa tare da su.
Wannan bincike ya binciki yadda tunawa da labarin gama gari da kuma labarin ke taimakawa wajen ginawa da tattaunawa kan asali da kuma jin daɗin zama tare da 'yan gudun hijirar Somaliya a Stavanger, Norway. Dangane da nazarin da aka yi kan tambayoyin tarihin baki da aka gudanar a matsayin wani ɓangare na aikin Jami'ar Stavanger na "Bankin Tunawa", binciken ya binciki dabarun labarin, tsarin jigo, da kuma ayyukan tunawa da 'yan gudun hijirar Somaliya ke amfani da su don bayyana abubuwan da suka faru na ƙaura, daidaitawa, da haɗin kai. Tare da jagorancin ka'idar tunawa da labarin gama gari da ka'idar asalin labarin, wannan binciken ya nuna cewa 'yan gudun hijirar Somaliya suna amfani da labarin don ci gaba da tunawa da ƙasarsu ta asali, shawo kan rauni, haɓaka fahimtar juna tsakanin tsararraki, tsayayya da wariya, da kuma tabbatar da kasancewarsu cikin al'ummar Norway. Binciken hirarraki daga Bankin Tunawa ya gano manyan jigogi guda biyar: tunawa kafin ƙaura da kuma tunawa da ƙasar da aka haife ta, raunin labaran ƙaura da tsira, wahalhalun sulhu da dabarun daidaitawa, kiyaye asalin al'adu da addini, da kuma watsawa tsakanin tsararraki da gogewa ta ƙarni na biyu. Binciken ya nuna cewa wannan aikin tunawa ya ƙunshi tsarin tunawa mai aiki, wani aiki mai mahimmanci a siyasance wanda 'yan gudun hijirar Somaliya ke ƙalubalantar labaran warewa da kuma yin wani nau'in zama ɗan ƙasa na tunawa. Binciken ya kammala da cewa manufofin haɗin kai dole ne su yi la'akari da al'adu da tunani na zama tare ta hanyar haɗa labaran baƙi a cikin manhajojin makaranta, tsare-tsaren manufofi, da shirye-shiryen ci gaban al'umma. Labarin ya ba da shawarwari ga masu tsara manufofi, masu ilimi, masu sauƙaƙe ayyukan tunawa da masu bincike, yana mai da hankali kan hanyoyin haɗin gwiwa, ayyukan da suka shafi raunin da ya faru da kuma ci gaba da saka hannun jari a dandamali waɗanda ke ƙara muryoyin baƙi.
Neither Uchi Nor Soto: Insider-Adjacent Positionality and the Ethics of Care in Transcultural Memory Work
Christina Fukuoka
Abstract
This report examines how insider-adjacent positionality, shaped by intersecting identities—biracial, multilingual, multi-migrant, and practitioner—mediates rapport and narrative disclosure within the Memory Bank (MB), an oral history project that documents migrant experiences in Norway. Drawing on fieldwork and internship experience with the MB, the report focuses on how storytelling emerges across formal-institutional structures (such as consent protocols) and informal-relational gestures, guided by cultural frameworks of care. Two research questions frame the analysis: (1) How do the Japanese concepts of uchi/soto (inside/outside) and omote/ura (surface/interior) help interpret shifts in rapport, trust, and disclosure? (2) How does the MB’s formal consent and archiving process shape the nature of the stories told? The report is grounded in three forms of data: two interviews independently conducted with Japanese migrants in Norway and a thematic analysis of peer reflections. Drawing on autoethnographic methods and relational ethics, I position myself reflexively throughout, rejecting the detached neutrality of traditional research in favour of what Donna Haraway terms “situated knowledge”. The report concludes that storytelling within the MB is never neutral; it is shaped by shifting cultural boundaries, institutional procedures, and the emotional labour of both researcher and narrator. Rapport is neither automatic nor incidental; it is cultivated through gestures of care, negotiations of roles, and ongoing reflection. The findings suggest that the MB’s ethical ambitions must be matched by pedagogical support: clearer consent structures, accessible language, and training in relational methods. By framing consent as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event, the MB can more fully honour its decolonial commitments.
Artificial Intelligence and Demographic Governance: Migration, Risk, and Dehumanisation in the European Union
Ana Caroline Sales e Souza
Abstract
Artificial intelligence has become central to migration governance in the European Union, where automated systems mediate identification, categorisation, and surveillance under the promise of efficiency and security. This study investigates how AI reshapes demographic governance by transforming migrants into statistical objects of risk and control. Using a qualitative case study design focused on the EU as the unit of analysis, the study combines documentary analysis of legislation, policies, and reports from EU agencies (such as Frontex, EUAA, and FRA) and civil society organisations’ reports with secondary quantitative mapping of Eurostat asylum decision data from 2013 to 2024 and Frontex trend reports from 2024 to 2025. The aim is not to establish causal effects but to identify temporal alignments between the rollout of automated border infrastructures—such as Eurodac recast, ETIAS, EES, and interoperability—and observed declines in asylum recognition rates, while considering country-level reforms and geopolitical shocks as potential confounders. Guided by Foucault’s concept of biopower, the analysis develops and applies the notion of algorithmic biopower to examine how databases, sensors, and predictive models operate anticipatorily, filtering populations on the basis of inferred risk. Findings indicate a robust temporal convergence between the expansion of algorithmic border and asylum infrastructures and a structural reduction in recognition rates across the EU, alongside the entrenchment of selective visibility. Externalisation practices, supported by surveillance technologies, render many protection seekers statistically invisible, while those who reach EU territory are sorted through profiling and interoperability that differentially mark bodies as legitimate or suspicious. These dynamics raise risks for fundamental rights, including due process and the principle of non-refoulement, given that opaque, commercially protected, and security-sensitive systems can embed historical bias and make contestation difficult. Although current regulatory frameworks, such as the GDPR and the EU AI Act’s high-risk requirements, aim to increase transparency, human oversight, and impact assessment, they appear insufficient where the underlying policy rationality frames migration primarily as a security problem. The contribution of the study is twofold: it offers a theoretically grounded account of algorithmic biopower in EU migration governance, and it empirically maps how automated infrastructures participate in making and unmaking demographic facts by deciding who is counted and on what terms. The report recommends stronger rights-centred safeguards, public registries and audits proportionate to risk, independent redress pathways, and a reorientation of policy goals from throughput efficiency to protection, equality, and accountability.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, migration governance, biopower, algorithmic discrimination, Eurodac, ETIAS, non-refoulement, European Union
Redesigning Volunteer Engagement at UNICEF Czech Republic: Empirical Insights and Inclusive Strategies
Jiwon Shin
Abstract
This research was conducted during an internship with the Events and Volunteering Team at UNICEF Czech Republic, focusing on inclusive volunteering practices and the redesign of volunteer engagement. The objective of the research was to identify structural limitations within UNICEF Czech Republic’s volunteering environment and propose strategies for creating an inclusive environment in which all volunteers feel welcome and respected, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reducing Inequalities). The mixed-methods study combined a survey of 29 UNICEF Czech Republic volunteers and interviews with three external volunteer coordinators and an expert. The survey results indicated that volunteers generally perceived the volunteering environment as inclusive. However, this reflected the fact that the group of volunteers was relatively homogeneous, consisting mainly of young Czech-speaking students. Although the survey revealed no language barriers, clear communication barriers were observed during the internship. Furthermore, some participants mentioned a lack of clear information about how to participate, or a low sense of belonging to the organisation, suggesting that the organisational structure may not support diverse volunteers sufficiently. The findings revealed a discrepancy between volunteers’ perceptions of inclusion, centred on equality, and the study’s conceptualisation of inclusion as the coexistence of belongingness and uniqueness (Shore et al., 2011). The study therefore proposes three key strategies for creating an inclusive volunteering environment: a tailored approach, sustainable structures, and meaningful participation. These strategies are expected to support UNICEF Czech Republic and other organisations in creating inclusive and sustainable environments.
Keywords: inclusivity, volunteering, inclusive volunteer programme, volunteer management strategy, Sustainable Development Goals
유니세프 체코 공화국에서의 자원봉사자 참여 재설계: 실증적 통찰 및 포용적 전략
본 연구는 유니세프 체코 공화국 행사 및 자원봉사팀에서 인턴십 기간 동안 수행됐으며, 포용적 자원봉사 관행과 자원봉사자 참여 재설계에 중점을 두었다. 연구 목적은 유니세프 체코 공화국 자원봉사 환경의 구조적 한계를 파악하고, 지속가능발전목표 10 (불평등 감소)에 따라 모든 자원봉사자가 환영받고 존중받는 포용적 환경 조성 전략을 제시하는 것이다. 혼합 방법론 연구는 유니세프 체코 공화국 자원봉사자 29명을 대상으로 한 설문조사와 외부 자원봉사 코디네이터 3명 및 전문가 1명과의 인터뷰를 결합했다. 설문 결과, 봉사자들은 대체로 자원봉사 환경을 포용적으로 인식했으나 이는 주로 체코어를 능숙하게 구사하는 젊은 학생들로 구성된 비교적 동질적인 자원봉사 집단을 반영했다. 설문조사에서 언어 장벽이 드러나지 않았으나, 인턴십 기간 동안 분명한 의사소통 장벽이 관찰됐다. 또한 일부 참여자들은 참여 방법에 대한 명확한 정보 부족이나 조직에 대한 소속감 부족을 언급했으며, 이는 조직 구조가 다양한 자원봉사자들을 충분히 지원하지 못할 가능성을 시사한다. 연구 결과는 평등을 중심으로 한 자원봉사자들의 포용성에 대한 인식과, 소속감과 고유성의 공존이라는 본 연구의 포용성 개념 (Shore 외, 2011) 간에 불일치를 드러냈다. 따라서 본 연구는 포용적 봉사 환경 조성을 위해 맞춤형 접근, 지속 가능한 구조, 의미 있는 참여라는 세 가지 핵심 전략을 제안한다. 이러한 전략은 유니세프 체코 공화국과 다른 기관들이 포용적이고 지속 가능한 환경을 조성하는 데 기여할 것으로 기대된다.
키워드: 포용성, 자원봉사, 포용적 자원봉사 프로그램, 자원봉사 관리 전략, 지속가능발전목표
Civil Society, Media, and the Contestation of Anti-Migrant Vigilantism in South Africa
Piyatida Phatcharasirasit
Abstract
Anti-migrant vigilantism and xenophobia have intensified in South Africa in recent years, particularly with the rise of Operation Dudula and other similar movements. Such mobilisations have had harmful effects on the rights, safety, and everyday lives of migrants. While existing scholarship has extensively examined the role of the media in reinforcing xenophobic attitudes and legitimising vigilante actions, far less attention has been paid to how civil society actors engage with the media to counter these narratives. This paper examines how civil society actors in South Africa use the media as a strategic resource to mobilise support, build legitimacy, and influence public debate in response to anti-migrant vigilantism. Drawing on resource mobilization theory and framing theory, the study analyses online media articles published between November and December 2025 that reported on civil society responses to Operation Dudula during a period of significant legal intervention. Using qualitative content and thematic analysis, the paper explores how civil society actors frame migrant rights, challenge vigilante claims, and articulate alternative narratives centred on human rights, migration, the rule of law, and social justice. The findings reveal patterns in whose voices are amplified and whose are marginalised in media coverage, showing which actors are most frequently quoted or relied upon and which voices are less visible or absent. The findings also demonstrate how migrants are portrayed within these debates, for example, as rights holders, vulnerable victims, or active agents. The study contributes to broader discussions on media, social movements, and xenophobia by foregrounding the strategic communicative role of civil society in contesting anti-migrant vigilantism in South Africa.
ในช่วงหลายปีที่ผ่านมา ปรากฏการณ์การจัดตั้งกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพ (anti-migrant vigilante movement) และภาวะความเกลียดกลัวต่างชาติ (xenophobia) ได้ทวีความรุนแรงขึ้นในประเทศแอฟริกาใต้ ซึ่งมีความเกี่ยวเนื่องกับการเกิดขึ้นของ Operation Dudula และขบวนการอื่นที่มีลักษณะคล้ายคลึงกัน โดยการระดมการเคลื่อนไหวดังกล่าวได้สร้างผลกระทบอย่างร้ายแรงต่อสิทธิ ความปลอดภัย และวิถีชีวิตประจำวันของผู้อพยพ แม้ว่างานวิชาการที่มีอยู่จะได้ศึกษาบทบาทของสื่อในการตอกย้ำทัศนคติที่เหยียดชาวต่างชาติและสร้างความชอบธรรมให้กับการกระทำของกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพอย่างกว้างขวางแล้ว แต่กลับมีงานศึกษาน้อยมากที่ให้ความสนใจกับวิธีที่ภาคประชาสังคมใช้สื่อเพื่อต่อต้านกรอบความคิดดังกล่าว งานวิจัยชิ้นนี้มุ่งศึกษาว่าภาคประชาสังคมในแอฟริกาใต้ใช้สื่อในฐานะทรัพยากรเชิงกลยุทธ์อย่างไร เพื่อระดมการสนับสนุน สร้างความชอบธรรม และมีส่วนร่วมในการถกเถียงในพื้นที่สาธารณะเพื่อตอบโต้กับปรากฎการณ์การจัดตั้งกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพเหล่านี้ โดยงานวิจัยฉบับนี้อาศัยกรอบแนวคิดทฤษฎีการระดมทรัพยากร (Resource Mobilization Theory) และทฤษฎีการกำหนดกรอบความหมาย (Framing Theory) เพื่อวิเคราะห์บทความข่าวออนไลน์ที่เผยแพร่ระหว่างเดือนพฤศจิกายนถึงธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2568 ซึ่งรายงานเกี่ยวกับการตอบสนองของภาคประชาสังคมต่อ Operation Dudula ในช่วงเวลาที่มีการต่อสู้ทางกฎหมายที่สำคัญระหว่างภาคประชาสังคมและกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพนี้ โดยผู้วิจัยใช้การวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลการวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพแบบการวิเคราะห์แก่นสารเพื่อสำรวจว่าภาคประชาสังคมกำหนดกรอบประเด็นสิทธิของผู้อพยพอย่างไร ท้าทายข้อเรียกร้องของกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพในลักษณะใด และนำเสนอมุมมองทางเลือกที่ยึดโยงกับสิทธิมนุษยชน การย้ายถิ่น หลักนิติธรรม และความยุติธรรมทางสังคมอย่างไร โดยผลการศึกษาของงานวิจัยชิ้นนี้ยังชี้ให้เห็นว่าเสียงของกลุ่มใดมักจะได้รับการสนับสนุนหรือถูกลดทอนในพื้นที่สื่อ รวมถึงวิธีที่ตัวละครต่างๆนำเสนอภาพลักษณ์ของผู้อพยพในพื้นที่ถกเถียงเหล่านี้ ซึ่งงานวิจัยนี้นี้มีเป้าหมายเพื่อส่งเสริมการอภิปรายในวงกว้างเกี่ยวกับสื่อ ขบวนการทางสังคม และความเกลียดกลัวชาวต่างชาติ โดยเน้นย้ำถึงบทบาทเชิงการสื่อสารเชิงกลยุทธ์ของภาคประชาสังคมในการท้าทายแนวปฏิบัติและข้อเรียกร้องของกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพในประเทศแอฟริกาใต้
Skill, Signal, or System? Norwegian Language Proficiency and Migrant Integration in the Rogaland Labour Market
Nizar Jouini
Abstract
This report investigates the complex role of Norwegian language proficiency in the social integration and employment outcomes for migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia living in Rogaland, Norway. Drawing on a qualitative study conducted between June and October 2025, this research moves beyond a simple correlation between language skills and success. Through in-depth interviews with three participants, the study found that language functions simultaneously as a form of human capital (a skill), a market signal, and a component of a larger systemic framework that includes institutional barriers and social networks. The findings reveal that vague requirements such as "fluent Norwegian" in job advertisements often act as exclusionary signals that mask task-specific needs and can perpetuate biases embedded in digital recruitment systems. Furthermore, a significant gap exists between formal language education and the practical linguistic skills required in the workplace. The report concludes that language proficiency opens doors to employment only when systemic factors such as accessible, relevant training and fair evaluation by employers are aligned.
The Institutional, Epistemic, and Thematic Challenges to the Establishment of a Pakistani Migration Research Network
Husnain Waris
Abstract
This report addresses the structural, institutional, and epistemic challenges underlying the absence of an established migration research network in Pakistan in the Directory of Migration Research Institutes. The absence of an established migration research institute in Pakistan is surprising given Pakistan’s extensive history with migration, including witnessing one of human history’s largest migrations during the Partition, hosting Afghan refugees for four decades, and having significant internal migration, continual outward labour migration, and a strong diasporic presence. Despite the country’s high internal and external mobility, there is no recognised academic body focused on studying migration, leading to an institutional and epistemic absence of Pakistani scholarship in the global landscape. The core task of this report was to investigate the cause of this academic absence by analysing migration research concerning Pakistan. To analyse the presence (or absence) of an academic migration landscape, the study employed a scoping review methodology to find research by Pakistani authors and identified 67 articles across 26 international journals and 37 articles across 13 domestic journals, for a total of 104 articles. The study combined the scoping review methodology with bibliographic mapping techniques to identify authors, their affiliations, and thematic focuses. The research found complexities in migration academia, characterised by fragmented research, low and inconsistent publications, and a lack of institutional knowledge sharing among authors. The findings highlighted stark thematic differences based on the author’s location. Researchers based abroad predominantly focused on diaspora, labour recruitment, social networks, and migrant experiences, often aligning with the migration governance and regulation objectives of host nations. In contrast, Pakistan-based researchers focused heavily on remittances, refugees, internal migration, and the social impacts of migration, themes often influenced by international organisations and government involvement. The concentration of institutions in wealthy, migrant-hosting countries shapes research focus to suit their needs, reinforcing Eurocentric epistemology and determining what topics—such as refugees, labour, and diaspora—are studied. The research also revealed significant issues with continuity. Researchers based in Pakistan were found to be less likely to continue their migration research compared to those based abroad, with authors in Pakistan having a 59.4% continuity rate, while authors based abroad publishing internationally had a 94.2% rate. This discontinuity results from domestic institutional absence and is compounded by isomorphic pressures from institutionalised migration research in the West, forcing authors in Pakistan to align their research focuses and methods for legitimacy and recognition. This creates a "thematic injustice", in which credibility is tied not just to academic integrity but to geographic proximity to the problem and "epistemic obedience" to dominant knowledge production frameworks. Ultimately, the major factor hindering Pakistani migration scholarship on a global scale is the lack of institutional development, which exacerbates issues of fragmented research, thematic concentration, and low continuity. The absence of organisational structure and epistemic injustice leads to a Matthew Effect, where Global North institutions dominate academic standards and global institutions dictate research themes. To develop sustained and effective scholarship, the report concludes that state involvement is essential to foster organic growth, enabling the researchers to practice epistemic disobedience and produce locally relevant, consistent research.
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