Rethinking Refugee Host Relations

Musasizi, Arunachalam and Forbes-Mewett take a sociological approach to explore the complexities of cultural proximity and how it intersects with situational factors such as social, economic and historical events to influence refugee-host relations in Uganda. Drawing on the everyday lived experiences of host community members, cultural leaders, local political and refugee leaders, and relief organisations, including UNHCR, this book examines how cultural affinities between host communities and different refugee groups intersect with situational and structural factors to shape refugee-host relations. The book problematises viewing refugees as a homogeneous group and applies the insider and outsider theory to explore factors that underlie inclusion and exclusion in host communities’ relations with different refugee groups. Some refugee groups not only are socially, culturally and ideologically distant from locals but also practise forms of livelihoods which, in the hosts’ view, threaten economic life in the host communities. The host communities are particularly threatened by the cultural incongruence, which is believed to interfere with their way of life. The book provides knowledge and understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of refugee-host relations and offers key insights for guiding policy and practice, especially in countries that host large refugee populations. A valuable resource for researchers and academics in sociology, migration and refugee studies, and those interested to understand how cultural proximity influences refugee-host relations and how the diverse nature of refugees shapes their relations with host state and communities.