International Sociology and International Sociology Reviews

‘Voices of Refugees’ is our Topic of the Month for May 2022. On this topic, enjoy Free Access all month to this article by Suban Kumar Chowdhury (University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh), Anne Keary, Andrea Reupert and Eisuke Saito (Monash University, Australia) published in International Sociology, Multi-vocal voices of refugees: A case study of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Read on to know more about the authors’ trajectory and work.

Suban Kumar Chowdhury

Anne Keary

Why are you working on this topic? Could you share an experience, a fact, or a person who made you get engaged in that research?

S.K. Chowdhury: The key driver behind my interest in Rohingya refugee issues is my research intention to work for the disadvantaged groups of the society by revealing their less-heard voices so that in corroboration with the state’s government, the national and global development community can transform their socio-economic condition. In addition, my interest in pursuing a PhD degree with a focus on Education for the Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh is the fundamental motivating factor to work on this topic. My understanding of the importance of having nuanced insight into Rohingya refugees’ social position within the social space of Bangladesh prior to researching the opportunity of Rohingya children to receive formal schooling with the Bangladeshi children under the same curriculum is the background of conducting a research on this topic. In the whole process of doing this study, Dr. Keary, Dr. Eisuke, and Dr. Reupert contributed greatly as the co-authors. Especially, I am grateful to Dr. Eisuke and Dr. Keary for their equally substantial contribution in completing research.

A. Keary: The intent of this research is to foreground emerging knowledges, languages and social spaces for refugee families located in refugee camps in Bangladesh. The hope is to negotiate a dialogic space for the refugee community and also for ourselves as an interdisciplinary research team. By collaborating on this paper, we consider other ways of thinking about and doing research, even though, at times, it leaves us feeling out of our depth and needing to find a place for feeling at ease with the research process. This research is also being undertaken within an Australian context with the Rohingya refugee community who attend a playgroup at a government primary school. Interviewing these women has inspired me to find out more about their stories of dislocation and resettlement in Australia.

What would you emphasize about your academic trajectory? Can you highlight which have been your academic positions, universities, awards, departments and research centers?

S.K. Chowdhury: I have completed my MSc degree in Gender and Development Studies from the Asian Institute of Technology under the aegis of ADB-JSP Scholarship. Currently, I am serving as a faculty member at the Department of International Relations of the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.