Integration in the margins: Everyday functioning of refugee integration during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia

Despite the proliferation of refugee integration research globally, there remains a significant gap in the literature concerning the Global South, particularly in nations that are non-signatories to the Refugee Convention and its Protocol. In these countries, refugees are typically expected to stay temporarily with very little protection accorded to them, leading to various degrees of integration experiences. Malaysia, which currently hosts one of the largest refugee populations in Southeast Asia, provides a critical case for understanding refugee integration dynamics in the Global South, particularly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study adopts a lived-experience approach, reflecting the everyday life of 23 refugee informants living temporarily in several cities across Peninsular Malaysia. We explain how the three domains of the refugee integration process–social bridge, social bonds and social links–have been severely affected by the pandemic. Our findings reveal that the anticipated function of integration as ‘removing integration barriers’ has been paralyzed, resulting in undesirable outcomes of the integration process across four aspects of their everyday life: employment, education, healthcare, and safety. This study contributes to the refugee integration discourse by elucidating the complex relationship between the integration process and its outcomes. Furthermore, it highlights, among others, the dual role of technology and connectivity, which can either facilitate integration or exacerbate existing tensions between refugees and the host society. This study helps to explain the boundaries of what policy change is possible and realistic, given Malaysia's continuous reluctance to ratify the Refugee Convention and its Protocol.