The research group on forced migration,
Department of Geography, NTNU

The current projects

Eviction and expulsion do not occur in neutral spaces. Different people have been exposed to enforced relocation at various historical junctures due to dominating powers of authority that influence how and why people move. The study of forced migration necessitates a theoretical approach that acknowledges the significance of past and present power relations, the role of conflict spaces as politically and socially constructed territories, and people as active recipients of enforced relocation. Research on forced migration is sensitive and necessitates participatory and reflexive approaches.

The situation of the indigenous population in Sri Lanka, the Veddhas, is chosen as empirical example. It shows that populations that have already been exposed to detrimental development policies and practices are further marginalized and disempowered in new conflict situations, such as the present war. Veddha territory has shrunk dramatically since the turn of the present century, and peoples’ mobility, ancestral rights and access to resources have been seriously delimited or vanished. Still, the Veddha culture has survived, but in a constant struggle for survival and adaptation to the needs of the modern, conflict-ridden Sri Lankan state.

How does war and displacement create change and continuity for both IDPs and host populations in protracted situations of displacement? This is a study of processes of change taking place during the ten years that have proceeded from expulsion, arrival and resettlement of Muslim IDPs in Sri Lanka. Flight and resettlement because of war create change and continuity, integration and segregation, and conflict and co-operation. It transforms identities, places, borders and livelihood opportunities for both hosts and displaced, and both hosts and displaced take actively part in these transformations.

The project is on IDPs in the province of Huambo, Angola. The study focuses on identifying the complex causes of displacement, as well as survival and coping strategies among the displaced during flight, in exile and upon return/resettlement. The study aims to go behind the dominating explanation of why people flee, i.e. civil war. From interviews conducted with displaced it is evident that other causes particularly environmental degradation, lack of development, breakdown of economic structures and infrastructure force many to flee in periods of no-war. The situation and role of IDPs in complex humanitarian emergencies are given due consideration. Methodologically the emphasis is put on qualitative methods of data production.

The project focuses on the relationship between natural hazards (flood, river erosion) and internal migration in Bangladesh. The validity of two assumptions is examined, based on data from two selected areas, as well as through a review of available literature. Firstly, it is often claimed that settlement in marginal areas, such as, low-lying riverbanks, should be seen as the result of poverty and marginalisation. The poor are, for economic reasons, forced to settle in high-risk areas. Secondly, it is often claimed that natural disasters lead to people being forced into the towns and consequently contributing greatly to urban growth and slum development. One could talk about migration from rural community to town in several stages, forced by both economic and physical marginalisation processes.

The interplay of forced migration, local community and reconstruction in Tuzla, Bosnia. How do IDPs who are not assisted by the international humanitarian regime manage on their own?

Contact:
The Research Group on Forced Migration: Department of Geography,
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim.
 http://www.svt.ntnu.no/geo/Forskning/Researchgroup/forcedmig.htm
E-mail: geo@svt.ntnu.no