A bibliometric assessment of global relocation research to inform climate-induced disaster risk reduction in Mount Elgon, Uganda

Abstract

This study examines how disaster-induced relocation is represented in global academic literature, with a particular focus on Uganda’s Mount Elgon region, where recurrent landslides and floods continue to intensify under changing climatic conditions. Although relocation is widely framed as a disaster risk reduction strategy, its implementation frequently reproduces vulnerability when community perspectives remain marginalised. The analysis draws on a bibliometric dataset derived from the Web of Science, which yielded 993 records, of which 971 were retained for final analysis after deduplication and data cleaning. The findings reveal a strong concentration of scholarly output in the Global North, with limited representation from regions most affected by climate-induced displacement. While Makerere University emerges as a leading contributor among Global South institutions, this prominence reflects a combination of locally grounded scholarship and participation in internationally led collaborative research. Publication counts, therefore, capture institutional visibility within global knowledge networks, but do not uniformly indicate epistemic leadership or theory generation. Thematic mapping identifies key intersections between relocation, mental health, resilience, and community participation, yet locally embedded perspectives on identity, culture, and post-relocation trajectories remain weakly integrated. The results position relocation as a socio-political process embedded in livelihoods, cultural identity, and psychological well-being, rather than a purely spatial intervention. Advancing equitable and contextually grounded relocation strategies requires a clearer recognition of the Global South as both a site of empirical observation and an active agent in knowledge production, supported by stronger South–South and balanced international research partnerships.