Refugees, displacement and humanitarianism

His recent British Academy-funded project explored experiences of violence and loss of dignity among forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh and internally displaced populations in Afghanistan. His research also investigates how host communities in Jordan, Malaysia, Turkey and Bangladesh perceive and interact with refugee populations. This research develops a framework for understanding forced displacement, the challenges of integration, and the governance of humanitarian support, all framed through the lived experiences and dignity of displaced people.

His work aims to advance global understanding of forced displacement, migration, refugee integration, and humanitarian response. As part of this, Prof Kamruzzaman published studies examining host communities’ perceptions of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, as well as perspectives of the host community and the Syrian refugees towards integration in the Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan. These works provide critical insights into how refugee presence intersects with local socio-political dynamics, resource distribution, and social cohesion in different national contexts.

Currently, Prof Kamruzzaman is working with a multi-disciplinary team exploring the politics of denial and non-recognition of genocide, which involves several pilot studies clustered under the broad theme of host communities’ perceptions, refugee integration, and humanitarian support.

In Malaysia, he is investigating how local communities perceive the presence of Rohingya refugees, particularly in the context of state policies, media portrayals, and civil society responses. In Turkey, a parallel study focuses on how Syrian refugees experience the integration process and explores the opportunities they identify, the barriers they face, and how these shape their sense of belonging and prospects. And in Bangladesh, another study explores the effectiveness and governance of humanitarian support for refugees living in camps. Using the Rohingya refugee camps as a case study, this research examines policy implementation, service delivery mechanisms, and the broader political economy of humanitarian aid towards the refugees.

Collectively, these studies aim to generate a more holistic and comparative understanding of forced displacement, and refugee experiences. The research also interrogates how humanitarian governance operates across different socio-political landscapes; contributing to the broader academic and policy debates on global migration and refugee crises.