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People without identity: Exploring the social experiences of asylum seekers in Hong Kong = 沒有身份的人: 在香港尋求庇護人士的生活經驗
Principal Investigator
Department
Grant Awarding Body
Research Grants Council
Grant Type
Faculty Development Scheme
Project Code
UGC/FDS15/H06/15
Amount Awarded
$437,000
Funding Year
2016-2017
Duration of the Project
24 months
Status
Completed
Abstract
The aim of this exploratory study will be to examine how asylum seekers, i.e. individuals who leave their country of origin to seek international protection and whose status as refugees has not yet been confirmed (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2014), survive in Hong Kong. Although clearly significant, this population of asylum seekers is nearly invisible in the local context. The key issue of this study is: how do asylum seekers cope with marginalisation in Hong Kong society? The proposed study will apply a sociological lens to explore and analyse the life experiences, social connections and self-perceived identities of asylum seekers as a marginalized group.
The classical sociological concept of stigma (Goffman, 1963) will be used as an entry point for the study. The study will also use the theory of social capital (Woolcock, 1998) as a conceptual research tool and explore how asylum seekers connect to each other, different social groups, NGOs and society at large. Qualitative research methods will be used to explore these dimensions. Specifically, in-depth interviews will be conducted with asylum seekers and NGO practitioners.
This study is expected to make the following contributions to the existing research. First, it will bring the topic of asylum seekers, which is a rarely studied but undoubtedly significant sociological issue, into the field of local academic research. Second, the findings of this study will help policy makers to design improved policies regarding asylum seekers in Hong Kong, especially in the areas of immigration and extra-legal activities.
The classical sociological concept of stigma (Goffman, 1963) will be used as an entry point for the study. The study will also use the theory of social capital (Woolcock, 1998) as a conceptual research tool and explore how asylum seekers connect to each other, different social groups, NGOs and society at large. Qualitative research methods will be used to explore these dimensions. Specifically, in-depth interviews will be conducted with asylum seekers and NGO practitioners.
This study is expected to make the following contributions to the existing research. First, it will bring the topic of asylum seekers, which is a rarely studied but undoubtedly significant sociological issue, into the field of local academic research. Second, the findings of this study will help policy makers to design improved policies regarding asylum seekers in Hong Kong, especially in the areas of immigration and extra-legal activities.