Researching Refugees and Forced Migration in Eastern and Horn of Africa: Introducing the Issues

Abstract

Refugees, forced migration, and human displacement are growing across the globe, and increasingly a growing body of scholarly literature has tried to capture the most important implications of this disturbing trend. Similarly, studies in Eastern and Horn of Africa have dramatically increased because of the complex and dynamic nature of displacement. While this is the case, researching refugees and forced migration remains challenging as evidenced in historical, political, policy, sociological, and anthropological studies. A systematic categorization of this academic literature focusing on the region is however lacking. This chapter traces the evolution of refugees and forced migration; identifies the issues and trends, the dominant conceptualizations, and policy responses; and uncovers the gaps that form suggestions for future studies.