Indiana's role as a resettlement site for refugees
Indiana has been a site for refugee resettlement for decades. Central Indiana is home to one of the largest populations of Chin Burmese people outside Southeast Asia, while northern Indiana has hosted people from Sudan, Burma, Somalia and more. The Center for Refugee Studies was formed in 2021, soon after thousands of Afghan allies were evacuated to Indiana after the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan. As Bloomington became a federally authorized refugee resettlement site, and Exodus Refugee Immigration opened an office here, the Center for Refugee Studies was established to create new possibilities for teaching, research and community involvement locally.
Center staff and affiliated faculty and students work not only in Indiana, but all over the world. We are currently conducting research in Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany and more. We welcome all IU faculty, staff and students with an interest in forced migration and the lives of displaced people.
