Situated welcome: Refugee settlement and inclusion in Australian neighbourhoods

This thesis advances a new approach to understanding refugee settlement by explaining the links between social connections, neighbourhood conditions, and the roles of host communities. The policies of receiving countries like Australia have typically had a narrow focus on building refugees’ economic productivity as the pathway to ‘settlement success’. Drawing on sociological research that has highlighted the importance of place and interethnic community dynamics, this mixed methods study demonstrates how successful settlement in Australia is contingent on ‘situated welcome,’ or the neighbourhood-level conditions for refugees and host communities to forge meaningful relationships and share equally in local resources and opportunities.