The United States has been described as a nation of immigrants, but refugee and diaspora communities have come under close scrutiny in recent months. The World Faiths Development Dialogue, with support from the GHR Foundation, has undertaken a pilot project in partnership with Harvard University’s Pluralism Project in early 2015. Its goal was to explore the religious lives of refugees who settle in the United States to better understand how religious communities, traditions, networks, or personal faith affect their adaptation and community-building in America's plural context. 

The pilot focused on refugees from two countries–Myanmar and Bhutan–resettled in two US cities. Researchers from the Pluralism Project presented study methodology and initial findings. Susan Martin of Georgetown University’s Institute for Study of International Migration offered a response, followed by discussion moderated by Katherine Marshall.