The Self-Organizations Nobody Counts: Friendship, Neighborhood, and the Informal Everyday

Krause, Ulrike; Gato Ndabaramiye, Joshua; Schmidt, Hannah

Abstract

Interweaving empirical research with reflections written by refugees in Uganda, Refugee-Led Organizations in Uganda: Agency, Gender, and Politics of Self-Organizing in Exile reveals the meanings of self-organizing in exile. Despite systemic constraints, refugees create, lead, and sustain their own organizations, fostering protection, social belonging, and economic opportunity. In the guest blog post below, Ulrike Krause, Gato Ndabaramiye Joshua, and Hannah Schmidt discuss the phenomenon of informal self-organizations in Uganda. Their work makes space for self-organizations, which are often overlooked by funders in favour of "formalized refugee-led organizations."