GMU scholar’s new book spotlights refugees as creators, not just victims

A new book by George Mason University’s Lisa Gilman argues that refugees are too often reduced to statistics and stereotypes. Published by Berghahn Books and now available in open access, the work highlights refugee art, entrepreneurship and community in Malawi, Türkiye and France.

Why it matters: - The book pushes back against public narratives that define refugees mainly by suffering and displacement. - It argues that arts, culture and storytelling can reveal refugees as active participants in their own lives and communities. - The open-access edition broadens access beyond academia and could reach readers, policymakers and local communities.

What happened: - Dr. Lisa Gilman, executive director of George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research, published Arts Initiatives by Refugees for Refugees: Forced Displacement, Creativity, and Agency with Berghahn Books. - The book draws on Gilman’s multi-site research with residents of the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi, Syrians in Türkiye and Uyghurs in France. - Gilman said she wrote the book for audiences beyond academia and wanted readers to encounter refugees “as people.” - The complete book is available free online through an open-access edition supported by Knowledge Unlatched. - The book is available in hardcover, eBook and free open-access formats.

The details: - The book uses short, narrative-driven chapters to explore migration, displacement, identity, policy and belonging through individual lives. - The stories cover musicians, dancers, visual artists, craftspeople, cultural organizations, festivals and community initiatives. - The book examines how arts and cultural expression can create connection, preserve identity, generate opportunity and support agency under uncertainty. - Gilman said policy decisions affect actual human beings and that better understanding those lives can lead to better decisions. - Amy Shuman of The Ohio State University called the book “an excellent and important book.” - Fordham University’s Fadi Skeiker called it “a rare contribution connecting scholarship, creative nonfiction and advocacy.” - Gilman is also a professor of folklore at George Mason University, a former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of American Folklore and a former fellow with the Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson Center. - Gilman’s previous books include My Music, My War: The Listening Habits of U.S. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Dance of Politics: Performance, Gender, and Democratization in Malawi and the co-edited volumes Africa Every Day: Fun, Leisure, and Expressive Culture on the Continent and UNESCO on the Ground: Local Perspectives on Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Between the lines: - The book reflects George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research mission to combine scholarship with storytelling, arts and public engagement. - The focus on refugees as neighbors, parents, creators and entrepreneurs is a deliberate counterweight to deficit-based coverage. - The open-access model suggests Gilman wants the book to shape public understanding, not just academic debate.

What’s next: - Gilman said she hopes readers leave the book more curious about the refugee family down the street, the child in their kid’s school or people affected by policy decisions. - The Institute for Immigration Research says it will continue advancing understanding of immigration and migration through research, arts, education and public engagement.

The bottom line: - Gilman’s book reframes refugees through lived experience, creativity and agency, aiming to change how readers think about forced migration and belonging.