Jordan Richmond graduated in May 2018 with a degree in political science and international and global studies, with minors in Chinese and women’s and gender studies. She completed her project, “Crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh: Sociocultural Underpinnings and Political Barriers to the 2016-2018 Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing Crisis,” during her senior year, with guidance from her research mentors Dr. Roberto Campo (International and Global Studies) and Lynda Kellam (University Libraries). The project received an honorable mention at the 2018 Carolyn & Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo.
This interview was conducted in July 2018.
Tell us about your project.
“My project sought to understand what sociocultural factors have led to and exacerbated the current situation for the Rohingya of Rakhine state in Myanmar, to identify what political barriers exist in addressing their plight, and to evaluate potential solutions to the situation.”
What were your major findings?
“The major social causes contributing to the current crisis’s emergence include: periods of political turnover from 1784 to 1826 in historical Rakhine and Burma; the historical tension between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine; and the military’s functional defense of the Burmese-Buddhist identity.”
“The 2017 bilateral repatriation agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh was insufficient in addressing the underlying social causes to the crisis. Given the political context of the situation, future relief efforts should prioritize local, aid-based solutions and humanitarian concerns in Bangladeshi camps.”
Why is your project important?
“If anything, my project stands to draw more attention to this very real and present issue. United Nations relief agencies are facing a limited budget in the midst of Bangladesh’s monsoon season right now. 30,000 Rohingya individuals are at risk of death because the United Nations relief agencies’ efforts were underfunded for June, and as global citizens, we can lobby governments to fully fund these efforts.”
“I was invited to attend the 2018 U.N.-U.S.A. Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. because of my project findings, and during our Lobby Day, I met with staff members from the offices of Senator Richard Burr, Senator Thom Tillis, and Representative Ted Budd to advocate for this cause. I hope that my project can inspire others to call their representatives and request expedited funding to this effort, or to donate personally to other organizations working on the ground to provide relief.”
“My project has encouraged me to explore other avenues of research related to this topic, as well. One of my new research projects analyzes the gendered discourses affecting identity formation in conflict-vulnerable populations, comparing the experiences of Rohingya women during this 2016-2018 ethnic cleansing and refugee crisis to those of Bosnian women during the 1992-1995 Yugoslavian civil wars.”
“Another new project, which I expect to be much smaller, will be based on interviews with representatives from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about their experiences on the ground in Rakhine. I met these representatives at the U.N.-U.S.A. Leadership Conference, and I know their experiences can provide a personal connection to the situation.”
How have you shared your results?
“I presented my research at Pi Sigma Alpha’s 2018 Undergraduate Student Research Conference in Washington, D.C., the 18th Annual Undergraduate Honors Symposium hosted by UNCG’s Lloyd International Honors College, and the 12th Annual Carolyn and Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo.”
“I also presented preliminary findings from my new research project, “Victims of Identity Theft: A Comparative Analysis of Gendered Discourses Affecting Identity Formation in Conflict Zones” at the 5th Annual Assemblages Symposium, hosted by the Women’s and Gender Studies department.”
What are some difficulties you ran into doing your project and how did you overcome them? Has your project changed over time?
“At the time of my research, the levels of Rohingya immigration from Myanmar to Bangladesh were reaching their height, so the crisis and its responses were unfolding daily. It was difficult to keep up with all the new developments at first. I started using LexisNexis to find local reporting on the situation, and major news organizations also started picking up the story, so more in-depth reporting emerged later on.”
“As I continued my research, I expanded my research focus into the historical factors affecting the current crisis. This crisis is not just a standalone occurrence of ethnic cleansing, but another case of repeated efforts by the Myanmar military and Buddhist extremist groups to remove the Rohingya from Myanmar, and so I expanded my research to reflect this fact.”
How do you think participating in undergraduate scholarship has been beneficial to you?
“I just graduated this past May, and now I work with an immigration law firm in town as a paralegal. My employer was specifically looking for an applicant with research experience, especially as we are preparing more research-intensive briefs for our clients. I was hired because of my experience in undergraduate research and scholarship.”
“I sincerely believe that undergraduate research can open your mind to new perspectives and can connect you to the world as it operates. When you start researching global issues like this, you start to learn what agencies and people are involved in the situation, and how nuanced the situation really can be. In my research paper, I compare the situation of the Rohingya in Myanmar to Bosnian Muslims during the Yugoslavian civil wars, but as I illustrate throughout my paper, it is still a very unique situation given the sociocultural factors and political barriers influencing action right now. Without conducting research on my own, my view of the situation would be limited to headlines I see in everyday news.”
How did you become interested in this topic?
“I became interested in researching this topic because of a long-term interest in migration studies and incidences of genocide & ethnic cleansing. In high school, I did a project on Myanmar’s political situation. Because the situation was in flux at the time with Aung San Suu Kyi just being elected, I started a Google News feed to keep tabs. In February of 2017, one article caught my eye: the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published a flash report on its mission to Bangladesh, complete with interviews with Rohingya individuals who fled from Myanmar. After reading the report, I was inspired to learn more about the situation. My International & Global Studies Capstone project was the perfect opportunity to do so.”
What methods did you use?
“I used a qualitative research analysis based on a lot of local reporting.”
What was the most surprising thing about engaging in scholarly activity?
“I was surprised by how much I could accomplish. At the time, I had just returned from studying abroad in Shanghai, China, and my focus was really off during the transition period that semester. It was one of the best feelings in the world to finish a comprehensive research project with original findings.”
What advice would you offer incoming students?
“Try to get involved in research as much as you can! There are so many opportunities to present and collaborate academically out there, and this is the time to pursue your passions. You never know where it can lead you.”
Interview by Hope Voorhees. Main image from the UK Department for International Development.
The URSCO blog helps UNCG’s undergraduate scholars share their work and impact with the world. Interested in sharing your work? Contact URSCO Director Lee Phillips at plphilli@uncg.edu or Office of Research and Engagement Media and Communication Manager Sangeetha Shivaji at s.shivaji@uncg.edu.
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