Creative Pathways to Belonging? Reviewing a Decade of Research on Socially Engaged Arts Education Initiatives for Refugees in Europe

Abstract This article reports the findings of a review of European research literature on socially engaged arts education for refugees. Over the past decade, arts-based initiatives have emerged as promising tools for supporting refugee communities across Europe. Educational initiatives, specifically — ranging from drama and music workshops to zine-making and visual storytelling — have created spaces for expression, connection and intercultural exchange. While often modest in scale, their impact on individuals can be profound, offering participants opportunities to reclaim agency, build relationships and navigate the complexities of displacement. However, at the same time, initiatives face structural barriers, resource constraints, ethical tensions and uneven power dynamics. Drawing on a systematic review of 36 studies published between 2015 and 2025, identified in the Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (HERE) Knowledge Base, this article explores what the research tells us about the principles, practices and outcomes of various socially engaged arts education interventions for refugees. The aim was to help us better understand their role in promoting refugees’ belonging and inclusion in a context of increasing sociopolitical division and inequality. In establishing what the decade of research tells us, the paper contributes to interdisciplinary literature and debates on education, migration studies, arts pedagogy and social justice scholarship, positioning arts education as a tool for inclusion.