This case study delves into the diverse lived experiences of East African and Afghan migrants and refugees in Boston, specifically those supported by the Somali Development Center (SDC). We examine the social barriers they experience during their resettlement, especially the lack of transitional housing. The paper also draws on the experience of community leaders, social service representatives, and local government officials.

The integration of new Russian émigrés in Berlin life is a multi-directional process with manifold challenges that reflect migrants’ and host city responsibilities. This case report identifies the technical aspects of securing legal status and the emotional impacts of settling in Berlin, identifying the challenges and opportunities émigrés face. It highlights the experiences of a particularly vulnerable group of émigrés, LGBT Russians, and finds that despite the relative ease of settling in Germany’s capital, the uncertainty of being chased away from home remains.

At the time of the interview, Amchi Rinchen had recently moved to New Delhi after a year working as a medical physician to an exclusively Indian population in the city of Chandigarh, the experience described in this report. Unfortunately, bureaucratic and administrative issues forced Amchi Rinchen to shut down his practice in Chandigarh. Still, his experiences in Chandigarh tell the fascinating story of a refugee founding the first Tibetan medical clinic within this major Indian city.

Khenpo Ju Tenkyong, a Tibetan refugee based in Dharamsala, India, works as a researcher, historian, and scholar on a number of important projects for the preservation and revitalization of Tibetan culture, language and Tibetan Buddhist literature. Unlike other refugees interviewed for this project, he preferred to use his own name rather than a pseudonym. Khenpo Ju Tenkyong is one of the leading Tibetan scholars in the diaspora, and his environment reflects this. For our Zoom interviews, he sat in a room with thousands of books arranged on floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and stacked on tables beside him. Despite his potentially intimidating erudition, he was extremely humble and down-to-earth throughout the course of our conversations.

This case report aims to detail from a firsthand perspective some of the successful advocacy leading to legal rulings which benefited the Urdu-speaking community’s legal standing in Bangladesh as well as highlight continued barriers to integration for residents who have now lived in Geneva Camp in Dhaka city for over five decades.

The Refugees in Towns project is pleased to publish this case report as part of its Race and Refugees research program. Both the Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA case reports explore the historical, cultural, and political contexts in addition to the lived experiences of refugees grappling with the U.S. construction of race. Both reports have been adapted into StoryMaps, allowing readers to interactively explore Mobile and Pittsburgh while showcasing RIT's reflexive and localized methodology. View the StoryMaps here: Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

The Refugees in Towns project is pleased to publish this case report as part of its Race and Refugees research program. Both the Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA case reports explore the historical, cultural, and political contexts in addition to the lived experiences of refugees grappling with the U.S. construction of race. Both reports have been adapted into StoryMaps, allowing readers to interactively explore Mobile and Pittsburgh while showcasing RIT's reflexive and localized methodology. View the StoryMaps here: Mobile, Alabama, USA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

This report tells the story of a Tibetan refugee living in Sarnath, India (pseudonym Thubten Dawa), who works for the Sarnath International Nyingma Institute (SINI). Later, in summer 2022, the author traveled to India to work at SINI, where he developed a closer relationship with Thubten Dawa. On numerous occasions, Thubten Dawa expressed his aspiration that by reading this story, “others will understand the importance of pure motivation and necessity to prioritize the welfare of others rather than one’s self.”