We are pleased to announce that on March 7th 2025, BIRMM member Hanna Schneider successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Navigating Uncertainties: Refugees’ Perspectives on Resettlement". On behalf of everyone at BIRMM we congratulate Hanna on this wonderful achievement!
Abstract:
Refugee resettlement provides refugees with a durable solution for living in dignity and safety in a new country. However, the process involves a complex interplay of multiple stakeholders and largely excludes refugees from meaningful participation, limiting their agency within a system designed to support them. This PhD thesis examines this exclusion, focusing on the perspectives and experiences of refugees navigating the resettlement process. Based on fieldwork in Jordan, Turkey, and Germany, the thesis explores how resettlement is implemented, the ways refugees engage with the system, and how their experiences reveal underlying governance structures and power dynamics.
A key focus is the multi-level governance of the resettlement process, where actors such as the UNHCR and national governments operate with diverging objectives and unequal power. The thesis argues that national governments, particularly Germany, increasingly dominate decision making, prioritizing national criteria and consolidating their authority. Despite the restrictive nature of the process, refugees exert agency through strategies to access resettlement, decisions to accept or reject resettlement offers, and efforts to navigate uncertainties within the resettlement process.
The research also explores the underexamined phenomenon of refugees rejecting resettlement offers, driven by family ties, cultural concerns, and inadequate information about life in resettlement countries. Furthermore, the thesis highlights the vulnerabilities refugees face during the resettlement process, including prolonged periods of uncertainty, lack of transparency in decision-making, and the prevalence of rumors. These factors not only compound the challenges refugees endure but also reveal how the design and implementation of the resettlement process, despite aiming to provide protection, can inadvertently intensify their hardships.
Overall, the thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of refugee resettlement, emphasizing the active role of refugees within constrained circumstances and offering insights to inform policy and practice improvements.
Promotor: Prof. Dr. Florian Trauner, Dean of the Brussels School of Governance