By the end of 2022, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimated that over 108 million people had been forcibly displaced from their homes; this is more than twice the number in 2012, just one decade ago. Although most displaced people fled their homes due to war, persecution, and conflict, global mobility is increasingly driven by climate and climate-related vulnerabilities. Given this unprecedented global growth of forced migration flows, reviewing and critically analyzing the research record on displaced people and refugees is crucial. In this talk, I discuss several collaborative research projects that seek to improve understanding of forced displacement flows, the theories, data, and methods used to analyze these movements, and the empirical literature on the socio-demographic consequences of forced migration and settlement. I also consider the impacts of migration policy, public health and welfare, and climate change on forced migration. Finally, I explore the intersections (and lack thereof) among forced migration, refugee studies, and migration policy analysis, suggesting essential future research directions for social scientists.

About the Speaker:

Holly E. Reed, Ph.D., is a full professor of Sociology at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY). She is also a doctoral faculty member in Sociology at The CUNY Graduate Center, an affiliated faculty member of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, and an associate of the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research. Since 2022, Dr. Reed has served as Editor-in-Chief of International Migration Review. Her research on human migration, including refugee and forced migration, demographic and health transitions, and socioeconomic development, in sub-Saharan Africa and the United States, has been published in top demography and sociology journals. Before her academic career, she was a program officer and researcher for the Committee on Population of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Reed holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University, an M.A. in Demography, and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

New Directions in Displacement and Refugee ResearchDate: 

September 21, 2023 (THU) (RESCHEDULED)

Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM

Venue: CJT-9.29 (RESCHEDULED)

Speaker: Professor Holly E. Reed

Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=90107