Project Details
This multidisciplinary project focuses on responses to global challenges related to cities, urbanisation, urban settlements, (in)formality, urban living and practices and urban governance and infrastructure. It focuses on the experience of, and practices associated with the integration of young migrants, many of whom forcibly displaced by war, into cities in LMIC countries with few resources, but who see the retention of these newcomers as key to their economicdevelopment. The aim is to better understand policies, and everyday practices that facilitate the integration of youthmigrant groups into host communities from the perspective of both newcomers and young people in the hostcommunity [helping to avoid tensions].
Our Approach
Our approach ensures that these issues will be explored in a nuanced way that respects the diversity of both migrant and host communities and deconstructs such binary distinctions in complicated historical contexts in which notions of ‘homeland’ and belonging are highly complex.
Armenian Context
The study will focus on Yerevan, Armenia. Armenia has recently received many Syrian-Armenian refugees but also the children of migrants to Russia and students and workers from India. Their retention is critical to reversing ‘braindrain’ and population decline. Armenia can be seen as an excellent case for the examination of relationships between diaspora members and historical ‘homelands’, the sense of belonging of transnationals and diaspora community migrants and their importance to national development (Rasuly-Paleczek and Six-Hohenbalken, 2017). However, the project highlights a problem affecting many developing countries (especially those affected by the forced displacement of Syrians, as well as those dealing with the vestiges of centralised Soviet planning).
There is thus the potential to benefit large numbers of people, and especially young people, to a significant degree by contributing to the economic and social development of Armenian society while also drawing out implications for other LMIC countries.