Advancing Knowledge on Social Integration of Refugees in Transitory Context Source?
On the 18th and 19th of March 2022, RDI UREF conducted a two-day webinar series as part of the "Advancing Knowledge on Social Integration of Refugees in Transitory Context" project, which received funding from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. This webinar series was dedicated to discussing two interconnected topics separately over the two days.
The first day of the webinar focused on the theme of "Social Integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Indonesia: Identifying Potencies and Challenges of Refugee Social Integration in Indonesia." During this session, the discussion centered around the recently released Public Opinion Polling on Social Integration concerning Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Indonesia survey report. Dr. Nino Viartasiwi presented the findings from this survey, highlighting that the Indonesian population generally does not oppose the presence of refugees in their communities. However, interactions between the host community and refugees remain limited. In response to these findings, Realisa Masardi, PhD, introduced the foundations of the theory of social integration from an anthropological perspective. Following this, Dr. Saut Sagala discussed community resilience, and the webinar concluded with insights from Shawqi Ramadhan, who provided a refugee's perspective on social integration.
The second day of the webinar series revolved around the topic of "Placemaking for Social Integration." The session began with a presentation by Jean Sonia, M.Sc., on the results of a Systematic Literature Review on Placemaking for Refugee Social Integration. Anastasia Widyaningsih, M.Sc., then acted as the first discussant, emphasizing how placemaking for humanitarian purposes can be integrated into global issues. This integration can lead to increased public awareness about refugee concerns and enhance the quality of life in cities. Subsequently, refugee discussant Reza Rezaie shared his perspective on placemaking as a tool for refugees' social integration. Finally, Diah Tricesaria, M.A., highlighted the importance of ensuring that placemaking as a tool for social integration benefits both refugees and local communities.
Written by Martha Verena
