Frazier receives fellowship grant to further research on refugee resettlement patterns

Dr. Emily Frazier, an assistant professor of geography at Northwest Missouri State University, is the recipient of a $12,000 grant from the Religion, Spirituality and Democratic Renewal Fellowship program of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) to further her research on religion and U.S. refugee resettlement.

Her research project, titled “Welcoming the Stranger: American Evangelicals and U.S. Refugee Resettlement,” will examine the work of evangelical resettlement agencies in the Midwest and the diversity of opinions regarding immigration efforts in evangelical communities.

“I hope readers understand that refugee resettlement is an effort that takes cooperation from Americans of all sorts,” Frazier said. “Without people of faith from all backgrounds, we wouldn't have the ability to resettle refugees and provide refuge to vulnerable people. Faith groups constitute an important element of how refugee resettlement takes place in America.”

Frazier is one of 10 fellowship recipients from throughout the country, whose work symbolizes a range of innovative research on religious traditions and institutions that are influential in shaping democratic participation, debates, institutions and public policies. The fellowships offer research support for up to 12 months to doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy and to postdoctoral researchers within five years of receiving their Ph.D.

The fellowships are offered by the SSRC Program on Religion and the Public Sphere with support from the Fetzer Institute. The Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal Fellowship of the SSRC aims to highlight of the importance of religion and spirituality in academia and public conversations about democracy in the U.S.

Frazier joined the Northwest faculty in 2020 and teaches courses related to human geography and geographic research methods. She holds a doctoral degree in geography from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a bachelor’s degree in international studies and cultural affairs from Arkansas Tech University. Her academic interests include issues related to forced migration, the geographies of religion and participatory approaches to qualitative research.