UoN to Launch an International Research Project on Diaspora Humanitarianism in Complex Crises (D-Hum)
The University of Nairobi, the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), the Rift Valley Institute (RVI), and Rako Research and Communication Centre based in Hargeisa, Somaliland, will launch a collaborative research project on Diaspora Humanitarianism in Complex Crises (D-Hum).
The Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Nairobi will be implementing the research project in partnership these institutions. IDS will also be training three PhD students who have been competitively recruited to join the research project. The students will be trained at the University of Nairobi; and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark in the next four years.
The D-Hum research project will be launched at a workshop on Friday 28th February 2020 at the University of Nairobi Towers Room 401 at 9:30 am. The project focuses on Somalia and aims to analyze the mobilization, channeling, delivery and effects of diaspora humanitarianism with reference to Somali diaspora.
Based on fieldwork in Somalia, Kenya and Europe, the project examines the movements of goods, people and ideas, from crisis-affected areas, hubs for humanitarian agencies and diaspora activities, to settlement countries.
The overall research question for the project is: What kinds of assistance do Somali diaspora groups mobilize, channel and deliver to Somalia during complex crises and which social, material and technological infrastructures do they use or create in the process of doing so?
The launch comes in the wake of D-HUM workshop, which took place at the Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge from 24th to 27th February 2020. The Institute was represented by Prof Karuti Kanyinga, IDS Director and Dr George Michuki, IDS Research Fellow. Dr. Nauja Kleist and Dr. Peter Albrecht represented the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Dr. Mohamed Adam represented the Rako Centre while Dr. Mark Bradbury represented the Rift Valley Institute (RVI).
D-Hum is funded by the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research (FFU) under Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Danida). It is coordinated by Dr. Nauja Kleist, DIIS.
