Putting Deservingness into Question

Project Lead

Team Members

Jane Herlihy, Michaela Hynie

Sub-Theme: Content of Citizenship

The sub-theme 'Content of Citizenship' explores through different projects the meaning of citizenship beyond a legal status, as the expression of a collective identity grounded in a shared sense of belonging to a particular national community.

Objective

Through the Psychological Research Evidence (PRE) project, this research adopts a legal interdisciplinary perspective in investigating the refugee adjudication process, a process that impacts the broader integration and citizenship acquisition prospects of refugee claimants. A particularly innovative project, this research uses legal and social scientific methods to investigate credibility assessment in refugee status decision-making and to integrate psychology research evidence into this process.

Research Questions

How does social scientific literature challenge assumptions that underly deception findings in refugee status decision-making?
What 'off the record' inferences motivate deception findings in refugee status decision-making?
What legal principles and norms should inform the use of social scientific evidence in assessing a refugee claimant鈥檚 credibility?

Methodology

This research project employs a mixed-methods design, integrating psychology and law disciplines.

Related Projects

Psychological Research Evidence (PRE) project (Hilary Evans Cameron)

Status

This project is ongoing, with multiple outcomes鈥攄raft articles, consensus papers, panel discussions, and events鈥攂eing finalized.

Expected completion date: September 2030

Outcomes

Publications:

Evans Cameron, H., Rehaag, S., & Friesen, K. (2025). . Journal of Law and Social Policy, 37, 93鈥�129.&苍产蝉辫;

Evans Cameron, H., Herlihy, J., & Hynie, M. (2025). . Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 1鈥�27.

Evans Cameron, H. (2023). Risk and the reasonable refugee: International Journal of Refugee Law, 35(1), 10鈥�36.

Evans Cameron, H. (2023). Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 60(1), 127鈥�174.

Past events and conferences:

鈥淰irtual Hearings Circle鈥�, workshop organized by Hilary Evans Cameron, Virtual Hearings Workshop, Toronto, Canada, February 28, 2025
鈥淩efugee narratives: Reflections from psychology, communications and law鈥�, panel moderated by Hilary Evans Cameron with guest speakers Vincent Denault, Zoe Given-Wilson, and Katty Alhayek, Toronto, Canada, February 26, 2025
Adamantly Immigration-based: Refugee Status Determination in Japan, Toronto, ON and online, November 7, 2024