The international context for the study of refugees: Implications for a refugee research agenda in Hong Kong

This paper will review refugee studies literature with a focus on conceptualizing issues about both the study and conditions of refugees internationally. It will also examine the factors that have contributed to raise the number of refugees worldwide. Moreover, the review will explore the contexts that have shaped their being. Thus, the review will help understand how the academic work has been developed and transformed in this discipline. In light of the findings from the international literature the review will also discuss the implications for pursuing refugee studies in Hong Kong. A theoretical framework will be suggested to position refugee studies in Hong Kong as well as to locate them within wider international literature. The methodological implications will be discussed.