"I wanted to contribute what I could to our understanding of refugee crises by studying the case of Burundian refugees in Tanzania..."
Samuel Allen, Undergraduate with honor thesis research
It is said that the world faces a refugee crisis on a scale not seen since the end of World War II. But this “global” crisis is in reality a series of distinct, regional issues whose solutions will require a deep understanding of the local politics and human geography. Given the opportunity to write a senior thesis, I wanted to contribute what I could to our understanding of refugee crises by studying the case of Burundian refugees in Tanzania, a focus which integrated my academic disciplines of Geography, International Studies, and African Studies.
After a semester of research, and partially enabled by a FLAS scholarship, I travelled to Tanzania for three weeks over winter break to conduct background research on this issue, splitting my time between Dar es Salaam and the Kigoma region. I used the valuable insights gained from this field research to finish writing my thesis this past spring, and hope to eventually use the skills and knowledge I gained for work in the region.
