In our second episode of A Migrant’s View with Nassim Majidi of Samuel Hall, we go beyond definitions and dissect the commonly made distinction between asylum-seekers who stay in the region vs. those who come to Europe. Nassim shares important context and background into the conditions faced by migrants and their consequent decisions to leave “third countries” to seek asylum in Europe – for the small numbers of those who even have the resources to undertake the journey.

Nassim has handpicked resources for you to further learn about the themes in this episode:

This academic paper by Bimal Ghosh details how migration from and to countries in the Global South will continue to be a major trend in coming decades.

An Africa-focussed look at South-South migration and human development can be found in this academic paper by Oliver Bakewell.

Rethinking refugee aid by moving away from a purely humanitarian lens to one of empowerment: Check out this piece by the Refugees Deeply team.

If you’re looking for more of a hard-backed experience, Refugee Economies is a book available for purchase that explores the economic lives of refugees across camps and urban areas.

And here are some extras from us:

This handbook from UNHCR will leave you with an in-depth understanding of resettlement management, policy, and breakdowns by country.

Have a listen: NPR’s Fresh Air interviewed the author of City of Thorns, a chronicle of the lives of nine refugees at the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab in Kenya.

Filmmaker Monzer Darwish explains in this personal three-minute film, created for the LSE Institute of Global Affairs, how he ended up in the Netherlands in his quest to find asylum from Syria.

In this Guardian article from 2015, you’ll learn of six reasons why Syrians make the journey to Europe.