Livelihood Strategies of Internally Displaced Persons in Urban Eastern DRC

Over the past few years, the number of people affected by forced displacement has risen sharply in crisis contexts throughout the world. In general, forcibly displaced populations consist of two main groups: refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In her research, Ms. Nguya adopted the approach of considering IDPs as active agents in her exploration of their experiences with displacement in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

She sought to revise some of the common assumptions related to IDPs’ experiences and through her research, she hopes to provide a frame of reflection for understanding IDPs’ experiences in urban areas that will be used in both future research and policy orientations, to inform actors dealing with IDPs and non-IDPs regarding ways of addressing issues related to IDPs, to call for the consideration of the IDP population as part of the urban population when it comes to creating solutions and to bring attention to the IDP population at multiple levels of discussion.

Chair

Professor Inge Hutter

Doctoral dissertation supervisors

Professor Thea Hilhorst 

Professor Dirk-Jan Koch, Radboud University

Members of the Full Doctoral Committee

Professor Alice Nabintu, Catholic University of Bukavu

Dr Oliver Bakewell, University of Manchester

Dr Bram Jansen, Wageningen University & Research

Professor Georg Frerks, Utrecht University

Professor Peter Knorringa

The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the Atrium of the ISS. Professors are invited to join the academic procession.