Immigration Processes of Refugees in 'Post Refugee Period' :A Case Study on Burmese Refugees in Japan

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K02054
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08010:Sociology-related
• Research Institution: Musashi University
• Principal Investigator: Hitomi Yasuhiro 武蔵大学, 社会学部, 准教授 (10584352)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 難民 / ビルマ（ミャンマー） / ポスト難民期 / トランスナショナリズム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project considers how Burmese refugees develop their immigration strategies in the ‘Post refugee period’, in which the possibility of their returning to their homeland country has increased. There are three main findings. Firstly, they constructed a returner identity that differentiated movers from stayers. Secondly, Burmese refugee families relocated their family members to Burma or Japan. Thirdly, the Burmese government developed the diaspora policies that take into consideration the political and economic influence of its citizens living abroad. This research project investigated the impact of a refugee's likelihood of returning to their homeland on their immigration processes at the multiple levels.

Free Research Field

国際社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究を通じ、「ポスト難民期」と概念化した本国への帰国可能な移住条件がもたらす難民の移住過程への影響を、複層的な水準から実証的に明らかにすることができた。難民を帰国できないものと固定化することなく、新たな移住戦略の展開可能性を見通す研究成果が得られたことは大きい。他方で、2020年の軍事クーデターの発生から「ポスト難民期」の脆弱性も明らかとなり、再び帰国可能性が狭まる「再難民期」と捉えることで、難民の移住過程の長期的な展開をさらに追及していく。