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In 2017, 50 percent of Syrian refugee applications in Egypt were submitted by females. However, a suitable integration strategy for this target group remains obscure since the available approaches focus mainly on male integration. That is due to the assumption that women refugees are mere followers to men who socially and economically dominate the families in the Middle East. Accordingly, the integration of the Syrian women refugees in society, as well as in the market, proceeds spontaneously without clear visions and therefore with delays. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

To methodologically understand the circumstances of the aforementioned group expert, focused and narrative “episode interviews” have been conducted. Alexandria, Egypt’s second capital, is the research case study as well as the researchers’ hometown. Thus, it allows following a “descriptive comparative analysis” process between the three Alexandrian districts, with different urban fabric: “Al-Nkhil Agamy” gated community, “El-Asafra/Sidi Becher” informal settlement and “New Borg El-Arab” new city.

Yet, it is unknown what criteria the Syrian women refugees set for choosing their accommodation. Similarly, the obstacles they encounter, especially the ones preventing their integration, are ambiguous. Even their daily life, which might give insights into the barriers they face, due to their status, is unclear. These are the gaps this paper tackles, in addition to the refugees’ immaterial cultural impact in the host society.

Finally, but also importantly, the topic has been seldom researched in Alexandria, in comparison with Cairo. Therefore, this paper aims at qualitatively hearing of the Syrian refugees’ voices in order to enhance their societal interaction and coexistence in Alexandria.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and indirect impacts of urban Syrian refugees on the residential urban fabric of Al Mafraq city physically and socially. Physically means regarding architectural style and socially means regarding social cohesion and sense of community. Therefore, the research questions are: What are the main source of tensions between the urban Syrian refugees and Al Mafraq host community that hinders the social cohesion? And what is the impact of the urban Syrian refugees on Al Mafraq city socially and architecturally?

Different research methods were used to explore and provide a rich description of the direct and indirect impacts of urban Syrian refugees on Al Mafraq city architecturally and socially. Desk reviews, focus group discussions and semi-structured individual in-depth interviews were used to explore the social impact of the Syrian refugees on Al Mafraq city. In addition, a qualitative comparative analysis was used to explore their impact on architectural style and urban sprawl.

The results show that changes have occurred on the character of the residential environment resulting in a conversion about the urban fabric of Al Mafraq city both physically, in regard to architectural style, and socially, regarding social cohesion and sense of community. Physically, the city suffers from a decline in the uniformity of the built environment, resulting in a partial loss of its identity as a homogenous place with calm, cohesive residential neighborhoods. On the other hand, the social fabric of the city is losing its homogeneity and solidarity, causing a decline in the sense of community, social cohesion and levels of trust, and a rise in the social tension leading to severe conflicts among community members.

The different stakeholders should express high concern for the different sources of tensions between the urban Syrian refugee and Al Mafraq host community. They should foster formal and informal communication and promote dialogue between the two communities to improve social relations and reduce the tension between them. The consequences of Syrian asylum on hosting countries present an issue that has been vastly studied by several scholars and international agencies. Research, reports and surveys all denote the negative impact of refugees, especially in cases where resources are scarce, as is the case with Jordan. As a part of such consequences, Al Mafraq city is moving in the wrong direction as a result of the increasing flow of refugees.

The current discourse about the influence of urban refugees on social and architectural style among host communities lacks veracity. Therefore, the significance of this research is offering an alternative academic view to enrich current knowledge and encourage further discourse research about urban refugees. In addition, this research is a comprehensive and double focused, not just on social inclusion and tensions but on urban environment and architecture. This research is useful for architects, urban designers and planners, sociologists, policymakers and humanitarian and peace-building practitioners in the urban non-camp complex emergency setting.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We investigate the entrepreneurial intentions of a population under crisis — namely, recent Syrian refugees in Jordan — and Jordanian citizens to start small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using a structured two-part survey, data were collected through online self-reported questionnaires in which respondents subjectively reported self-perceptions. The first part dealt with respondents’ characteristics and the second with their entrepreneurial intentions. The survey took place in Jordan, sampling Jordanian citizens and Syrian refugees. A nonprobability sampling technique was used to collect the data.

The results show that net desirability for self-employment, tolerance for risk and self-efficacy are related to entrepreneurial intentions. We find significant differences between the Syrian refugees and the Jordanian citizens in terms of risk-taking and self-efficacy as determinants of engagement in entrepreneurial activities.

This study offers guidance to institutions working with refugees during times of crisis. Implications are discussed.

Despite high aspirations to pursue personal development, self-sustaining employment, socio-economic integration, and stable futures in their host, origin, or resettlement countries through higher education, intersecting legal, economic, linguistic, and sociocultural barriers severely constrain refugees’ options. There is limited research on how refugee students overcome these barriers to access higher education, particularly in displacement settings like Turkey, which perpetuates a deficit view of these learners. This chapter seeks to address this gap and challenge deficit ideologies through an asset-focused perspective on the stories of 10 Syrian young adults accessing higher education during forced displacement in Turkey using a composite narrative portrait crafted based on common experiences running across the participants’ individual narratives. The narrative illustrates the importance of equitable policies, quality language instruction, inclusive pedagogies, and supportive interpersonal relationships for young people aspiring to invest in their futures during displacement as well as the resourceful and dynamic strategies they devise.

The authors explore the entanglement of smartphone technology and power in this paper. This paper explores the following question: In what ways does the actualization of smartphone affordances result in empowering outcomes (i.e. increase or reduce oppression) in the daily lives of refugees? Leveraging both affordance and feminist theories, the authors develop a hybrid lens bringing attention to the contextualized relationship between social process goals and affordances for sociality, upon which the authors introduce the notion of “goal-affordance interrelations”. The authors then trace how the actualization of these interrelations increases or reduces oppression.

Using an abductive approach, the authors analyze 32 semi-structured interview transcriptions conducted with Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The analysis in this study reveals four categories of social process goals (meet financial needs, satisfy security needs, communicate and learn and maintain pre-existing social ties) that are intimate components of contextually meaningful affordances. When actualized, the goal–affordance interrelations fundamentally shape refugee experiences of power outcomes. The findings suggest forms of empowerment where powerlessness, marginalization, violence and exploitation are perceived to be reduced. Actualization outcomes are also found to increase perceived oppression. Additionally, the findings reveal that not all interrelations are actualized, such that the anticipation of an oppressive power outcome may limit the actualization of affordances for sociality.

This research raises considerations concerning technology and oppression, and that efforts to empower refugees through technology should critically question whether the lived experiences of oppression will be reduced. The findings of this study reveal various forms of less empowering (i.e. oppressive) outcomes for the refugees sampled, they also point to the potential politicization of the actualization of goal–affordance interrelations.

One way to support the livelihoods of refugees and their families is to support them in regard to labour market integration, including as entrepreneurs, through which they in turn can contribute to the society and economy of their host country. As they may lack specific knowledge of and information about the respective business and regulatory environment, effective and targeted business support schemes have an important role to play in this process. This chapter is the result of qualitative research on the pilot phase of such a programme in the Netherlands called ENPower. Based on semi-structured interviews, the participants and triangulation of findings with observations of key stakeholders, the results show that this programme managed to achieve its goal of supporting refugees to develop a viable business plan. Moreover, participation reinforced the refugees’ personal development and empowerment, showing the potential of such support to contribute to the fulfilment of SDG 8.

This manuscript conducts a bibliometric analysis of scholarly literature on sustainable development goal 5 (SDG 5) – gender equality, focusing on Arab countries. The purpose is to comprehensively assess the research landscape, identify trends, contributors and research hotspots and inform evidence-based policies for advancing gender equality in the region.

A descriptive bibliometric analysis was used, using the Scopus database for data collection. The study covers English-language research papers published in peer-reviewed journals between 1993 and 2022, using a comprehensive search strategy focused on gender equality in Arab countries.

The analysis of 634 papers revealed a steep rise in publications post-2015, aligning with the adoption of SDGs. The growth trajectory and citation analysis demonstrated a significant increase in both publications and impact over the last decade. The study identified prolific journals, subject areas, countries, institutions and authors contributing to the literature on gender equality in Arab countries. Notable research hotspots include domestic violence, female genital mutilation, women’s empowerment, microfinance and gender-based violence.

This study contributes to the literature by providing a detailed bibliometric review of SDG 5 research in Arab countries, offering insights into the growth patterns, prolific contributors and research hotspots. The identification of recent research topics, such as child marriage in conflict contexts and female leadership, adds originality to the analysis.

Purpose: This study examines the use of Design Thinking by international development actors in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Factors contributing to Design Thinking’s adoption, its evolution, and contributions to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are identified.

Methodology/approach: The study used a desk review, survey questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected experts to capture experiences from across the MENA region. Snowballing enabled more experts to be reached.

Findings: Over the past decade, Design Thinking has been successfully adopted by a growing number of organizations and sectors. Its low-resource requirements and focus on mindset enable it to empower communities to find solutions by and for themselves. Its human-centered approach, use of empathy to deepen understanding of the user makes it well suited for advancing the 2030 SDGs vision of “no one left behind.”

Research limitations/implications: This was a small exploratory study that involved 13 respondents in 4 countries. All experts interviewed lead Design Thinking projects across the MENA region. The chapter identifies actions to enhance research/knowledge in this area.

Practical implications: A systematic mapping of Design Thinking actors and initiatives across the MENA region and the establishment of communities of practice could improve knowledge and resource sharing and more effective/wider application of Design Thinking.

Social implications: Design Thinking can contribute to the 2030 SDGs in the MENA region. As a low-resource methodology, Design Thinking can empower grassroots actors to make and own needed changes.

Originality/value of paper: This chapter appears to be the first one to examine Design Thinking’s contribution to achieving the 2030 SDGs in the MENA region.