Forced Migration Online: Blog

As part of its expanding collection of multimedia resources, the FMO team have launched a series of podcasts. These audio resources comprise a series of discussions between experts on forced migration issues from the academia, practitioner organizations and international agencies. In the near future, the team plan to add interviews and life histories of refugees and other displaced people.

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) at Oxford (which hosts FMO), we are beginning this series of podcasts with a collection of conversations with prominent academics, in which they discuss the evolution the field of refugee and forced migration studies. The first of these is with the founder and former Director of the RSC, Dr Barbara Harrell-Bond.

The podcasts are in MP3 audio format. They can be listened to in-page by clicking on the provided Flash player or via iTunes through the link provided. They can also be downloaded for later listening or for transferring to a portable MP3 compatible device device such as an iPod.

• Podcast series

The country of Afghanistan is ethnically, linguistically, and physically diverse. This updated Afghanistan research guide covers the nation’s long history, from ancient Sarzameen-e-Bay, through to the Soviet occupation, the rise of the Taliban, the aftermath of 9/11 and concludes with a current political overview.

Twenty three years of civil war in Afghanistan created large numbers of refugees and IDPs – many of whom have returned home over the last six years following the fall of the Taliban in 2001. For many, their search for employment, adequate and affordable housing, access to basic services, reclamation of property, and reintegration into communities has been fraught with difficulty. At the same time, return is made difficult or in some cases impossible as peace and security remains illusive in some parts of the country. As the country struggles along the long road of reconstruction, the durability of the return is dependent on the establishment of the state – its institutions and the establishment of the rule of law – and its ability to create opportunities within an environment of security which enables its citizens to thrive rather than simply survive. Throughout, significant challenges lie ahead as Afghanistan’s development indicators continue to be poor. An estimated 20-40 per cent of rural Afghans are malnourished, and roughly 70 per cent of the population live on less than USD 2 a day. Over two-thirds of Afghans over the age of 15 cannot read and write; and one in five children die before they reach their fifth birthday.

This updated research guide provides an overview of the influxes of Palestinian refugees to Lebanon since 1948 and subsequent conflicts in the country. It provides historical background to how the refugees came to be in Lebanon and examines the conditions under which they live. This research guide is one of five examining the situation of Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.

The video section of the website has now been updated. The film Lost Nation: Stories from the Uyghur diaspora has been launched following a preview screening at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Other enhancements to the video section include additional formats, in addition to QuickTime streaming versions which we use to deliver video for almost all possible bandwidths, the films are now in Flash and iPod format. The videos are also available for free via iTunes, or you can subscribe to the video RSS feed.

Please let us know if you have any comments about the videos on FMO.