Tracing pathways to higher education for refugees: the role of virtual support networks and mobile phones for women in refugee camps

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the role of online social networks in the cultivation of pathways to higher education for refugees, particularly for women. We compare supports garnered in local and offline settings to those accrued through online social networks and examine the differences between women and men. The paper draws on complementary original data sources, including an online survey of the Somali Diaspora (n = 248) and in-depth interviews (n = 21) with Somali refugees who do or have lived in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya. We find an important interplay of local and global interactions, mediated by mobile technology, that participants identify as critical to their access to higher education. Our analysis relates these interactions to shifting social norms and possibilities for refugee women’s education. Our findings directly address the use of information and communication technology in expanding opportunities for higher education for women in refugee camps.

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