An exploration of information and communication technology use on the part of Eritrean refugees in Rome, Italy

Graduation date: 2012Thesis explores the ways in which Information and Communication Technology (ICT)use, specifically that of telephones and the Internet, impacts the lives of Eritrean refugees in Rome, Italy. Informal interviews, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation were carried out in a 'center of second reception.' Results show that information obtained through the use of ICT acts on the imaginations of refugees, encouraging or discouraging movement to alternative locations. ICT use can help maintain a sense of emotional "closeness" to family members abroad for some,\ud but not for others. Limitations in access to ICT exist for the refugees and their families in Eritrea that crosscut multiple socio-demographic categories. Finally, surveillance, enacted through ICT use, negotiates power between the Eritrean state and its subjects in the diaspora