Exploring the everyday life information needs and the socio-cultural adaptation barriers of Syrian refugees in Scotland
| Pages | 1104-1132 |
| Published date | 10 September 2018 |
| Date | 10 September 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-10-2017-0142 |
| Author | Konstantina Martzoukou,Simon Burnett |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management,Classification & cataloguing,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Scholarly communications/publishing,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Exploring the everyday life
information needs and the
socio-cultural adaptation barriers
of Syrian refugees in Scotland
Konstantina Martzoukou and Simon Burnett
School of Creative and Cultural Business, Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen, UK
Abstract
Purpose –This paper presents the research findings of the “Syrian New Scots’Information Literacy
Way-finding practices”research project, funded by the Information Literacy Group of the Chartered Institute
of Library and Information Professionals. The purpose of this paper is to explore the information needs of
“Syrian New Scots”(the preferred name for refugees in Scotland), their habitual and adaptive information
literacy practices and the barriers and enablers they encounter within their new socio-cultural setting via their
interactions with people, tools and processes.
Design/methodology/approach –Primary data were collected via interviews with three Local Authority
Leads for Syrian Resettlement and focus groups with Syrian New Scots in three geographical locations in
Scotland: two rural areas and one urban. Syrian research subjects were also involved in a drawing exercise
that helped to contextualise the findings.
Findings –The main information needs expressed by participants revolved around the learning of English
language which was linked to addressing health-related information needs, well-being and community
engagement. All participants also highlighted the issue of socio-cultural differences in fulfilling everyday life
information needs (such as health and housing). Information provision to Syrian New Scots requires a more
structured process that acknowledges personalised information needs and it is tailored to the different stages
of the adaptation process. The findings suggest that the “ways of knowing”that Syrian refugees bring with
them are converging information experiences of past and new knowledge structures gained via different
socio-cultural and migration experiences.
Originality/value –The research findings of this project will be of interest to local and regional support
organisations and community volunteer groups who contribute to the social well-being and social integration
of Syrian refugees. In addition, they may be of interest to public libraries due to their role as centres for
educational and cultural orientation sessions, and as places of support for newly settled Syrian refugees and
the communities that embrace them.
Keywords Community, Refugees, Citizenship, Everyday life, Social integration, Health literacy,
Integration, Adaptation, Barriers, Syrian
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in March 2011, it has been estimated that
11 million Syrians have migrated to other countries. According to the UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR, 2017), there are more than five million Syrians registered by United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, Turkey and
North Africa. In Europe in the first quarter of 2016 only ( January to March), there were over
one hundred thousand new Syrian asylum seeker applications (Eurostat, 2016).
Although refugees have been the focus of previous research in different subject domains,
understanding their information-related experiences is still fragmentary. As Lloyd (2017)
notes this is a relatively new area of research interest for the library and information science
sector since “there have been no attempts at deeper explorations of the information aspects
of this crisis”and this knowledge gap raises the need for more research on “how to best
support refugees”(p. 35). Similarly, research on Syrian refugees’information needs,
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 74 No. 5, 2018
pp. 1104-1132
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-10-2017-0142
Received 10 October 2017
Revised 28 March 2018
Accepted 3 May 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0022-0418.htm
1104
JD
74,5
information-seeking beha viours and information liter acy during their resettlem ent
experiences is scarce. Most of the previous research in this area has focussed on
exploring issues and experiences of Syrian asylum seekers who have been displaced in
other neighbourhood host countries. In addition, prior work has been preoccupied with
immediate issues faced by Syrian refugees in difficult living conditions experienced within
camps and resettlements, mainly addressing concerns surrounding basic survival needs,
human security and human rights (e.g. adequate shelter, protection, water and sanitation,
education and healthcare) with a view to planning effective practices and mechanisms
relating to the refugee crisis (BRD/I Group SAL, 2013) and sustainable community
development (Xu et al., 2015). For example, in an assessment of the impact of Syrian
refugees in Lebanon and their employment viability, it was found that most Syrian refugees
are “living in difficult socio-economic conditions with limited livelihood resources”. Rented
accommodation is frequently shared with other families, and it is too small or highly priced,
with the only alternative to move to Palestinian camps, abandoned buildings or tented
settlements (Masri and Srour, 2014, p. 8). This raises the need for the provision of a range of
income-earning opportunities from temporary public works to self-employment
(p. 43). In relation to healthcare issues, Masterson et al. (2014) conducted a health needs
assessment in Lebanon surveying health clinics and interviewing Syrian refugee women
addressing reproductive and general health, stress and help-seeking behaviours. They
reported an association between stress levels and gynaecological conditions. Benage et al.
(2015) similarly examined pregnant Syrian refugees in difficult living conditions in various
geographical locations in Lebanon, addressing antenatal care issues, such as access, the
scope of existing antenatal care, family planning behaviours and practice.
Unlike these prior studies, the present study differs in its focus on Syrian refugees’
information-related experiences within a secure and safe environment during their process
of adaptation, rather than their experiences within the context of a temporary transitional
place. It is concerned with Syrian refugees’resettlement experiences during the process of
integration into local communities where they were relocated to access services alongside
their host country nationals. Within this context, there has been no previous research and
little understanding of how Syrian refugees are welcomed into their new communities with
the purpose of rebuilding their lives, and the role of information in achieving that goal.
2. Research background and questions
Both the public debate presented by mainstream media and prior related research have
highlighted the confusion related to the differences between refugees, asylum seekers and
the broader category of migrants (which may also include economic migrants) as these
terms are often used interchangeably. These differences between economic and other types
of migrants (e.g. political migrants) as well as refugees and asylum seekers are not
insignificant; they determine the experiences with which migrants arrive to the host country
and the level of support that may be provided, such as different rights and entitlements for
permanent residency. Therefore, for the purposes of this research which focusses on
refugees specifically, the term “refugee”is defined as a person who “owing to a well-founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular
social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”(UNHCR,
2010). Conversely, an asylum seeker is someone who has applied for asylum and is waiting
for a decision as to whether or not they may be considered as a refugee. Thus, the status of a
refugee is formally recognised only after having been given a formal refugee status by
the government.
On 7 September 2015, the UK prime minister announced an expansion of the existing
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation(VPR) Scheme, resettling20,000 Syrians (overfive years
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