著者

朝隈 芽生

出版者

国際開発学会

雑誌

国際開発研究 (ISSN:13423045)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.24, no.2, pp.97-111, 2015-11-15 (Released:2019-09-27)

参考文献数

40

被引用文献数

2

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Two-thirds of refugees in the world are said not to be in emergency situations, but trapped in protracted refugee situations (PRS). UNHCR advocates three durable solutions for refugees; (1) voluntary repatriation, (2) local integration, or (3) resettlement to a third country. However, these solutions are not really feasible in light of the fact that the number of refugees in PRS has been increasing. This may have happened because international agencies tend to pay little attention to the idea of social inclusion, especially as it relates to social relations or belonging.Through a case study of Afghan refugees in Iran, this study aims to analyze the roles and meanings of a school managed by refugees themselves from the viewpoints of belonging and approval. The number of Afghans in PRS is approximately 2.6 million and they occupy the largest number of refugees in such a situation. The majority of the Afghan refugees live in urban areas, where they establish and operate their own schools for their children without any external assistance. This study was carried out in one of these schools in Tehran. The teachers and the students at this school are all Afghans. Semistructured interviews and participant observation were the principal tools utilized in the study.It was found that the Afghan refugees have been frequently discriminated against and have encountered difficulties in their lives. They appear to have been often excluded from Iranian society. The study identified three practical roles of these schools as follows: (1) The school can offer alternative learning opportunities for many Afghan children. (2) It functions as one of a few working places for Afghan women. (3) It is a place where Afghan mothers can gather and communicate with each other. These roles have been explored by means of employing the concept of ‘I-basyo’ (a psychological place where one feels one belongs). This might be of importance in understanding more inclusive strategies for refugees in new social contexts.