Displaced: How Global Systems Shape Refugee Families

Brown University, International and Public Affairs (IAPA), Spring 2023

This course approaches the global refugee crisis from a systems perspective. The course begins by asking: Who is considered a refugee? How is this category constructed? We will examine how refugee families fit within the dominant nation-state system and how forced migration fits within larger trends in migration and globalization. We will then follow refugee families and dissect the institutions that shape their trajectories—from the long process of waiting in refugee camps and cities in neighboring countries to the possibility of more durable solutions, whether through repatriation to their home country, local integration, or resettlement. In the last section of the class, we will focus on the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. and Europe. Along the way, we will consider refugee agency and self-reliance, as well as the constraints and inequalities they face while navigating global refugee systems.

The family is a key institution—in society as well as in migration. Family processes intersect and overlap with many other important dynamics of social life, such as identity, wellbeing, financial and economic status, etc. Throughout the course, we will pay particular attention to how forced migration shapes family dynamics, as well as how family dynamics shape migration patterns. This course is a “survey” course, in that it seeks to provide an overview of key issues in the field, such as gender, sexuality, and maintaining family ties across borders.