Cover of journal Cahiers d’Études Africaines (Volume LXIV, Issue 2)
Dr. Amanda Poole, Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences, co-authored a peer-reviewed article with Dr. Jennifer Riggan, Professor and Chair of the Department of Historical and Political Studies at Arcadia University, titled “Smugglers vs. Students: Migration Deterrence and Understandings of Risk Among Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia.” The article appears in a special issue of the journal Cahiers d’Études Africaines (Volume LXIV, Issue 2), focused on “The Ambiguities of Migration Deterrence.”
This article examines how, between 2016 and 2019, Ethiopia implemented a series of migration deterrence policies aimed at reducing onward migration among Eritrean refugees. These policies combined awareness campaigns about the dangers of irregular migration with development initiatives designed to promote local integration and make Ethiopia a more viable long-term refuge.
Poole and Riggan argue that to understand whether these policies influenced refugee decision-making, researchers must consider not only how Eritrean refugees perceive the risks of migrating onward, but also how they understand the risks of remaining in Ethiopia. The findings offer new insights into the complex interplay between migration policies, refugee agency, and the broader humanitarian landscape in the Horn of Africa.
The article appears in Cahiers d’Études africaines, a leading, peer-reviewed, open-access journal founded in 1960 and published by Editions de l'EHESS in collaboration with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the Centre national du livre. Known internationally for its anthropological and historical research on Africa and its diaspora, the journal regularly publishes special thematic issues that attract interdisciplinary and global audiences.
This publication builds on Dr. Poole’s long-standing research on forced migration and refugee decision-making in the Horn of Africa.