Browsing by Subject "Resettlement"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Open Access
Confronting the Imperial Narrative: Counter-Narratives from Iraqi and Syrian Refugees in Jordan
(2018-05-22) Ahmed, Maha
This thesis explores how individual refugees respond to imposed narratives about their communities. Iraqi and Syrian refugees in Amman, Jordan (n=40) were interviewed during the summer of 2018. Each interviewee’s response was recorded and coded to gain insight into attitudes towards Western institutions responsible for resettlement cases. Given that normative social roles can be constructed in institutional narratives that serve to sustain power inequalities, the interviews reveal how these roles that define the “refugee” are constructed, naturalized, and challenged in displaced communities. The counter narratives from those who were interviewed directly point to the way institutional narratives shape neo-liberal forms of control centered on human rights rhetoric and explain how states use the commodification of suffering through the normative refugee asylum story to distance and other the marginalized. Finally, this thesis finds that refugees’ resentment towards imperial control, which comes out of counter-narratives, is centered around an unease with Western power and the rise of the military-industrial complex.
Open Access
Examining the Psychosocial Context of Mental Health: Bhutanese Refugees and Their Story of Resettlement.
(2012) Nelson, Elise Jordan
Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees are in the process of being resettled from southeastern Nepal to eight different Western countries--the majority of whom are resettling to the United States. Refugees are universally at higher risk of mental illness, due to the large number of stressors to which they are exposed. Preliminary studies have suggested that resettled Bhutanese refugees may have particularly poor mental health outcomes, including high rates of suicide. This study conducted 23 in-depth life story interviews with Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, in attempt to explore the psychosocial context of mental illness among this population, and to understand the risk factors that they are, or will be, exposed to during their resettlement transition. Throughout the interviews the theme of "expectations of resettlement" emerged and revealed potentially large discontinuities between expectations of resettled life and the likely realities. Interestingly, these expectations were closely tied to many of the themes that emerged when discussing sources of mental illness within their population--suggesting that the failure of the expectations might greatly affect mental health outcomes. The results of this study are only preliminary and suggestive, but they add to the currently limited literature on Bhutanese refugee mental health. Additionally, they offer a detailed insight into the risks and needs of the Bhutanese as we prepare to incorporate them into our communities.
Open Access
From the Graveyard of Empires to the Queen City: Exploring the Status of Resettled Afghans in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Efficacy of Volunteer Partnership
(2024-04-30) Schwartzbauer, Nathan
This Master's Project attempts to better illuminate the status of resettled Afghans in Charlotte, North Carolina as of 2024. The project explores the perceptions of Afghan households about their resettlement, the assistance available, and their involvement with groups of local churches and other volunteers. The author created a survey that local Charlotte Afghan interpreters administered to 31 resettled Afghan respondents. Many of the survey questions mirrored those from a 2023 national survey of resettled Afghans from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Administration for Children and Families (part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). The Master's Project survey innovates beyond ORR questions to provide more information about the status of Charlotte Afghans specifically. The paper provides some contrast with previous resettlement experiences in the United States and North Carolina – specifically, the Vietnamese, Montagnards, and Iraqis. The author proposes areas of enhanced focus for Charlotte volunteers, nonprofits, resettlement agencies, and local policymakers working with resettled Afghans. The paper highlights the specific focus areas of immigration status adjustment, childcare access, and addressing ethnic disparities within the Afghan community itself. The project also emphasizes the importance of sustaining local volunteer partnerships at the most immediate level towards approaching problem-solving with resettled Afghan families – which is characterized as “subsidiarity” in the paper. The author suggests that larger resettlement organizations and support resources should only assist with tasks that cannot be met by local volunteer partners. The paper proposes future areas of exploration potential, especially in consideration of longer-term partnerships lasting longer than three months. The work does not claim to be definitive in providing a single set of solutions to helping resettled Afghans. Rather, the work seeks to contribute useful knowledge by creating more awareness among policymakers and community stakeholders in Charlotte, along with any other interested parties in North Carolina and beyond.