Abstract:
This study covers the lived experiences of persons displaced due to urban expansion. The study
primarily aims at understanding the perspectives of the displaced farming community members
living surrounding Bishoftu city. It looks at the effect of urbanization on displaced people from
various viewpoints, including social, cultural, psychological, and economic aspects. The
research employs a descriptive research design with a qualitative research approach, with data
primarily collected through in-depth interviews and field observations. Through snowball
sampling, the research provides detailed accounts of 21 interviewed persons who experienced
displacement. Although the displaced people had substantial economic, social, political, spatial,
and cultural resources before they were displaced, they have now become economically, socially,
politically, spatially, and culturally marginalized. The study also reveals that displaced farmers
have lost many of their cultural and social traditions, which are critical in coping with the social,
psychological, spiritual, and economic challenges that they face. Criminality and immorality
have permeated the culture as informal social control mechanisms derail. Many are
impoverished, and some resort to socially immoral means of subsisting, such as begging. The
study demonstrates some benefits in the lives of few displaced people, including women, by
enhancing their access to infrastructure and creating employment opportunities. The study
proposes that displaced people progress through four phases following their displacement. It also
suggests that social disorganization theory can be extended to explain the chaos and disruption
caused by urbanization in peri-urban areas. The thesis further implies that there are two classes
of elites, neither of which contributes substantially to the improvement of the displaced.
