Refugee-led Social Protection, Digital Technologies and the ‘Refugee Crisis’
Funded by British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
Active 2019–2023
©
UNHCR/Mark Henley
Project led by Dr Marie Godin, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, RSC, 2019-2023 (now Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Leicester, UK.
The so-called ‘European refugee crisis’ that has unfolded over the last few years has generated a dynamic response from a novel and diverse constellation of social actors in the European context: from humanitarian organisations, local authorities, international and local NGOs, private actors and grassroots actors, including citizens and refugees themselves. However, refugees are still studied, overwhelmingly, as recipients of aid in the design of state welfare policies. In this regard the development of digital technologies has played a significant role in providing new opportunities for refugees while on the move but also on arrival in Western societies, especially in regard to fulfilling their social protection needs. This project explores how the development of tech-social protection initiatives led by, with or for refugees, is contributing to a reshaping of the politics of welfare at the local, national and transnational levels.