Refugees and asylum seekers from countries in the Global South who end up in Europe can be described as ‘South-in-the-North’ communities. Not only are they coping with the trauma of loss – of home and familiar landscape, relationships with family, neighbours and friends – but also with the reality of adapting to new language, culture, social expectations and legal frameworks.The magnitude of South-in-the-North communities has increased dramatically since 2015. The huge numbers of refugees and asylum seekers have put pressure on recipient communities in the North such that initial responses have mainly addressed material needs at a basic level. All these aspects combine to create boundaries within the recipient countries, along with inequalities between the ‘South-in-the-North’ communities and their hosts.
- What resources do South-in-the-North communities draw on?
- How do adults navigate new social, cultural and language boundaries? How do they negotiate within the social context to reduce the inequalities they face?
- How do children and youth who have travelled without family cope?
- How can receiving communities in the North facilitate integration and the reduction of inequalities?
This panel invites papers which aim to answer these questions by exploring pathways to integration for South-in-the-North communities.
Organizers
Marguerite Daniel, Masego Katisi, Ragnhild Hollekim, and Fungi Ottemöller
Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway