The Invisible Refugees Exploring the Barriers in Social Mobility of Uzbek Refugees in Samali, Baluchistan

Abstract

Refugee studies have been in the limelight in the rhetoric of migration studies in the contemporary world. Though there is a multitude of literature on Afghan refugees in the Pakistani context, the researchers mainly studied Afghan refugees under one terminology to highlight their challenges or challenges caused by them to host communities. This thesis is a qualitative study, which attempts to fill the gap left behind by generalized studies on Afghan refugees and primarily quantitative literature on Afghan Uzbek refugees. This study focused on the conceptualization of challenges faced by Uzbek refugees from the perspective of Social mobility by analyzing their experiences regarding integration and marginalization. The sample was Uzbek refugees and locals of Samali, Baluchistan. Data was collected through qualitative research techniques including semistructured interviews, case study method, and participant observation. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and organize data into themes. The study's main findings indicate that Uzbek refugees have not experienced upward social mobility in the last ten years. Barriers to their social mobility of Uzbek refugees residing in Samali resulted from three different sources 1) Ambiguous statelevel policies, 2) Stigmatization and marginalization from larger society 3) Marginalization inside their community. The state has not provided refugees with facilities, social services, and their legal status remains obscure. From the larger society, the stigmatization of Uzbek refugees in the form of hostile narratives and resentment while being a minority without resources and limited social capital resulted in downward social mobility. Lastly, the stratification within the Uzbek community and marginalization of women proved to be a barrier to their successful integration within the larger society. Research also recognized their Strategies to survive marginalization and isolation, for instance, rights by proxy and cheap labor. The research emphasizes the diverse experience of social mobility of Afghan refugees when venturing into different ethnicities within Afghan refugees in Pakistan, taking into account perspectives of Uzbek refugees and locals to comprehend the complexities of integration, thus social mobility.