Through a multi-sited case-study of Southern-led responses to displacement from Syria in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, the project’s main research aims are:
- identifying diverse models of Southern-led responses to conflict-induced displacement;
- examining the (un)official motivations, nature and implications of Southern-led responses;
- examining refugees’ experiences, perceptions and conceptualisations of Southern-led responses, including whether refugees from Syria conceptualise these responses ‘as’ humanitarian in nature (or, for instance, as politically or ideologically motivated);
- exploring diverse Southern and Northern actors’ perceptions of Southern-led responses;
- tracing the implications of Southern-led initiatives for humanitarian theory and practice.
The ultimate research objectives are to understand the plurality of humanitarian models developed by actors from the global South; to recognise the agency of displaced populations as humanitarian actors rather than merely as humanitarian subjects; and to develop a new conceptualisation of humanitarian history, theory and practice.
In addition to its significance to the academy, the research is of direct relevance to policy and practice, providing the foundations for evidence-based policy development and evaluation which situates Southern state and non-state actors at the core of humanitarian activities as active agents rather than merely as passive recipients.
To see our Principal Investigator, Prof. Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, speak on this topic, or to read our team’s blog posts, click here.
Read about our Project Background.
Read about our Project Approach.
Southern Responses to Displacement 