Al-haddad, R.E.; and Rakshit, P.V.; Finding home: Participatory geospatial mapping with Rohingya refugees, Applied Geography, Volume 161, 2023, 103136, ISSN 0143-6228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2023.103136.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143622823002679
Despite decades of using community-based participatory mapping techniques, few studies have documented the oral histories of refugees and other displaced populations suffering from geographical injustices. This study fills the gap by documenting the process of participatory geospatial mapping with Rohingya refugees, a stateless ethnic minority group who fled to Bangladesh in response to ethnic violence in Myanmar, to collect their spatial narratives and migration stories. In this study, participatory mapping exercises were conducted using Google Earth Pro to collect qualitative data from 52 Rohingya adolescents and adults living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar about their migration experiences. Findings were organized into six key themes including 1) Discrimination and unfair treatment in Myanmar; 2) Forced removal from land and houses being burned by the military; 3) Leaving family and livestock behind; 4) Dangers of migration; 5) Feelings of safety and security in Bangladesh; and 6) Positive elements and happy memories from home. Results from this project indicate that participatory mapping exercises can lend agency to those who have suffered geographical injustices as it helps to process trauma; validate and reframe lived experiences; empower marginalized voices to spur action towards change; and can provide insights to policy makers.
Al-Haddad, R. E., Duran, K. L., & Ahmed, S. (2022). A lost generation: Perpetual education insecurity among the Rohingya. Race Ethnicity and Education, 25(6), 874–900. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2022.2069738
Education security exists when every child has equal access to quality education. Rohingya refugee children suffer widespread rates of education insecurity both in their home country, Myanmar and in their host country, Bangladesh. While the right to education is recognized in several human rights instruments, access to education is not ubiquitous, making the ability to achieve this right challenging for many Rohingya. Government restrictions on accredited education, COVID-19 related school closures, failures in launching a pilot of the Myanmar curriculum, and recent government plans to relocate refugees to Bhasan Char Island have created a ‘lost generation’ of Rohingya youth. This study traces the development of education insecurity among the Rohingya, a stateless ethnic minority group who fled to Bangladesh in 2017 in response to ethnic violence in Myanmar. Drawing upon available literature and primary fieldwork, this study examines the social, cultural, and political determinants of learning opportunities for Rohingya children.
Simmons, W. P., & Kesete, S. (2019). Joyful human rights. University of Pennsylvania Press.
https://www.williampaulsimmons.com/joyful-human-rights.html
Joyful Human Rights by William Paul Simmons and Semere Keseste (Jan. 2019) is “a pioneering work that thoughtfully explores human rights in the context of the most joyful of human experiences, Joyful Human Rights disrupts current human rights thinking and practice and leads us to challenge the foundations of human rights afresh. The term “human rights” is now almost always discussed in relation to its opposite, “human rights abuses.” Syllabi, textbooks, and academic articles focus largely on abuses, victimization, and trauma with nary a mention of joy or other positive emotions. Focusing on joy shifts the way we view victims, perpetrators, activists, and martyrs. Importantly, focusing on joy mitigates our propensity to express paternalistic or salvatory attitudes toward human rights victims.”