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Main Article Content
Sense of community and conflict-induced displacement: A study among Iraqi IDPs in camps
Abstract
This paper examines how experiences of forced displacement impact Sense of Community (SOC). SOC captures how community members feel towards the community, through four elements: ‘membership,’ ‘influence,’ ‘needs fulfilment,’ and ‘shared emotional connection’. Drawing on original data collected through a survey of 89 Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs) hosted in camps and displaced as a result of the Islamic State (IS) crisis, this study explores changes in overall SOC levels as well as in its four elements by using the Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS). The findings show a universal decrease in SOC levels during displacement, yet this decrease is not uniform across demographic groups. Significant variations appear during displacement that were not observable before. Men compared to women felt a stronger decrease in SOC due to the loss of livelihoods and decision-making authority during which challenge the traditional role of men as main decision-makers in the community and as families’ breadwinners. Similarly, the elderly compared to the young, the better educated compared to those with lesser degrees, and the farmers compared to other professions have experienced relatively severer drops in SOC scores in addition to those who cannot provide for the basic needs of their families during displacement. On the other hand, the shared experience of forced displacement seems to have acted as a bonding event among community members, as shown by the ‘shared emotional connection’ element of SOC becoming the most preponderant dimension during displacement.
