Refugee entrepreneurship in context: Exploring dimensions of diversity across Europe, the Middle East, and Pakistan

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Authors: Ivanova-Gongne, Maria; id_orcid 0000-0002-5688-1471, Lång, Stefan
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Forced migration continues to reshape societies globally, with refugee entrepreneurship emerging as a vital pathway for economic and social integration.This chapter explores how overlapping dimensions of diversity such as culture, language, religion and identity, as well as institutional contexts-shape refugee entrepreneurial experiences and theoretical understandings of this phenomenon.We also compare refugee entrepreneurship in European and non-European contexts, emphasizing the importance of local conditions, institutional frameworks, and sociocultural embeddedness.We argue that culture and other diversity dimensions should be centralnot peripheral-in refugee entrepreneurship research.Building on previous studies, we propose three future research streams: (1) Refugee entrepreneurship in multilingual contexts; (2) Multicultural identity dynamics; and (3) Religion and intersectionality.We conclude with practical implications for policymakers.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Migration Ethnicity and Economy International Student and Expatriate Challenges Migration and Labor Dynamics

Publication details

Journal / source
Åbo Akademi University Research Portal
Publication date
21 April 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Book chapter