Finding a Place in the Camp: Examining the Formation of Social Networks in Za’atari Refugee Camp

Conner Maher (I will take the second module)

Introduction:

Since 2011, Syria has been descending into an increasingly violent civil war with a sizeable majority of the population being displaced. With an estimated 2.5 million Syrians living as refugees around the world, Jordan now has an estimated 640,000 Syrians residing throughout the country. The largest concentration of Syrian refugees in Jordan can be found in Za’atari refugee camp, a rapidly urbanized transient city that houses over 85,000 Syrians. In just three years, Za’atari has grown to become the fourth largest city in Jordan, and the second largest refugee camp in the world.

Primary question:

In a rapidly urbanizing space void of previous associations to the surrounding people and environment, how do social networks begin to form and take hold?

Hypothesis:

Za’atari refugee camp is officially classified as an “impermanent settlement.” This classification might creates a perception that communities and relationship are not forming within the camp. As Za’atari increasingly becomes more like a city and a beacon for those who are displaced, previous relationships will be restructured. Not only will Za’atari’s residents begin to form stronger ties within the camp, but new leaders will begin emerge.

Data:

To create this data set, I will need a longitudinal data set with three sets of network data for August 2012, 2013 and 2014. I will use information from mobile cell phone providers for each data set, which is a closed data source. The likelihood of receiving this information is small. However, Zain (a Jordanian mobile provider) would offer the robust and representative source of data, as primary research over the summer indicated that if Zain was not the sole SIM card people use, it was likely their secondary. Zain has also been identified as the best coverage in the camp and will provide a better example of people’s entire mobile use.

Methodology/Important Network Measures:

Using a two-mode dataset, Social Network Analysis will provide a unique way to visualize the budding communities within Za’atari refugee camp. Comparing each year’s data will indicate if cliques and sub groups begin to form the longer a Syrian resides in the camp. Measuring the eigenvector will allow a better understanding of the influential leaders in the camp and to see if they are evenly spread throughout the districts or grouped geographically. The betweenness measure will also be an important lens of analysis, as will identify those who are important for disseminating information throughout the camp.

Attributes will include the amount of time residing in the camp, current district region of residence, and delineating the frequency of mobile use between low, medium and high.

Conclusions:

This project will take a critical look at the formation of social networks at the earlier stages of Za’atari’s development and provide valuable information for administering the camp. How are these communities being formed? Are these cliques primarily related to family ties or is there a community center in a certain district that is particularly good at bringing together the different members of the neighborhood? Are these relationships district-centric or between districts?

A second area of examination would be to uncover patterns of camp leadership. At the opening of the camp, UNHCR officials appointed block leaders to act as neighborhood representatives. These leaders were supposed to act as the nexus between Za’atari’s residents and camp officials; however, UNHCR staff handpicked the block leaders outside of any electoral process and primarily based on tribal affiliations.  While these leaders may have had influence in a previous setting, the new settlement of Za’atari is restructuring past relationships from Syria. UNHCR needs to find and engage the new leaders to better represent the needs of the camp.

Camp officials need to identify the connectors in the camp in order to conduct a more efficient information outreach strategy. Nowhere is this more evident than last April’s riots. Protests over mistreatment and the injury of a small boy quickly morphed into violent clashes between Syrians and the Jordanian police. The conflict was fomented by a massive amount of misinformation rapidly being spread through the camp. Identifying and conducting an information campaign through the Syrians with the highest betweenness should allow for a better disseminating of knowledge.