Author: Amina Hassan & Ronhi Ak Title: Impact of asylum on asylum seekers Supervisor: Gunilla Carstensen The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of asylum seekers and understanding the asylum process and the perceived illness during the asylum process. The study also aims to map stigmatization in the concept of illness among asylum seekers. The theoretical basis of the essay is the theory of Antonovsky salutogenesis about the sense of context and Elias & Scotsons stigma theory. Qualitative interviews have been conducted with four people, all of whom have undergone an asylum process where the analysis was conducted using a thematic method of analysis. The result of the study shows that it is a psychologically and emotionally stressful process to apply for asylum, which affects the health. The uncertainty of not knowing whether to stay in the country in combination with the severe trauma from their country of origin give the interviewees an impression that the asylum process is stressful and places great mental demands on people. The main cause has been understanding of the asylum process, all interviewees showed a low sense of comprehension and it could be a contributing factor to the deterioration of health among asylum seekers. This results in their health deteriorating and they are likely to suffer from stress, depression and PTSD for the trauma they have experienced. As regards stigmatization, the results show that asylum seekers tend to avoid seeking help because of the fear of being isolated and stamped as a deviation of their own ethnic group. / Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka asylsökandes stresspåverkning och förståelse för asylprocessen samt den upplevda ohälsan under asylprocessen. Studien har även som avsikt att kartlägga stigmatiseringen i begreppet ohälsa bland asylsökande. Uppsatsens teoretiska utgångspunkter är Antonovskys salutogenes teori om känslan av sammanhang och Elias & Scotsons stigmatiseringsteori. Kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med fyra personer som alla har genomgått en asylprocess där analyseringen gjorts med hjälp av en tematisk analysmetod. Resultatet av studien visar att det är en psykiskt och känslomässigt påfrestande process att ansöka om asyl, vilket också påverkar hälsan. Ovissheten kring att inte veta om man får stanna kvar i landet i kombination med svåra trauman från sitt hemland resulterar i att intervjupersonerna upplever asylprocessen påfrestande och ställer stora psykiska krav på personerna. Det som har varit den väsentliga påverkningsorsaken har varit förståelsen över asylprocessen, samtliga intervjupersoner uppvisade en låg känsla av begriplighet vilket kan vara en bidragande faktor till att hälsan försämras hos de asylsökande. Detta resulterar i att deras hälsa försämras och de riskerar att drabbas av stress, depressioner och PTSD p.g.a. trauman de har upplevt. När det gäller stigmatisering visar resultaten att asylsökande tenderar att undvika att söka hjälp på grund av rädslan för att bli isolerade och stämplade som avvikande av den egna etniska gruppen.

När förändringens vindar blåser och världen blir alltmer global, förändras även befolkningen i länderna världen över. Immigration blir en alltmer vanlig företeelse och Sverige är inget undantag. Vilka utmaningar står dessa immigranter inför i det nya landet gällande språk och inkludering? I denna studie har vi undersökt precis det genom observationer och intervjuer med vuxna asylsökande och volontärer i en biståndsorganisation i Västsverige. Denna organisation bedriver språkcafé där asylsökande och andra invandrare har chans att lära sig svenska genom samtal och umgänge med svenska volontärer samt andra invandrare. Essensen av vår empiri var att de asylsökande lärde sig genom socialt umgänge med svenskar och att en av de viktigaste förutsättningarna för lärande är en plats där sådant socialt utbyte kan ske. Det finns flera olika faktorer som påverkar inkludering, det har framkommit genom denna studie att språket är en av de viktigaste. För att kunna leva och verka i samhället krävs det att man kan kommunicera med människor, såväl i vardagen, som i skolan och på arbetsplatsen. / When the winds of change are blowing, and the world becomes a more global arena, the population in countries all over the world are changing. Immigration is becoming a common phenomenon all over the world and Sweden is not an exception. What are the challenges that these immigrants faces in their new country with regard to language and being a part of the community? In this study we have examined this through observations and interviews with adult asylum seekers and volunteers in a aid organisation located in the west of Sweden. This organisation operates a language café where asylum seekers and other immigrants are given a chance to learn Swedish through conversation and interaction with Swedish volunteers and other immigrants. The essence of our empiricism was that the asylum seekers learned through social interaction with swedes, and one of the most important conditions for learning is a place where such a kind of social exchange may happen. There are many different factors that affects how well immigrants will be included in society, this study have come to the conclusion that language is one of the most important. To be able to live and be a part of society it demands that you can communicate with other humans in everyday life, in school and at your worksite.

Inspired by the Kratochvíl, Cibulková and Beník´s model of actorness, the thesis explores the framing power of UNHCR. The critical discourse analysis introduced by Norman Fairclough is applied in order to analyze the textual, contextual and sociocultural dimension of the UNHCR framing power. The case of Turkey was chosen for this study due to the current situation and the fact that Turkey is one of the biggest hosting country in the refugees´ crisis. Through the critical discourse analysis, the thesis explores whether UNHCR is considered as a framing actor in the case of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless people in Turkey. The analysis shows that UNHCR is globally respected and takes important part in the issue. However, not all of the international organizations refer to UNHCR as the lawmaker and the initiator of debates in the issues mentioned above.

This thesis explores how people struggle to make livable lives in the conditions of existence of seeking asylum in the UK. The study is based on ethnographic research, conversations and participant observation, with people seeking asylum in Manchester. Grounding the research in their narratives is a contribution to decolonizing knowledge and doing justice to the sentience of people who are marginalized and pathologized. The narratives are brought into dialogue with feminist and decolonial philosophy and political theory, and with empirical studies of 'refugeedom' from a number of disciplines, to produce a new field of connection from which to map the terrain involved in theorizing livability. While the whole thesis seeks to respond to the narratives, there is a detailed focus on three dimensions which participants emphasize as crucial to livability: settlement in Manchester; the prohibition of employment; the asylum application procedures. These are moments in which livability is claimed as both ethics and practice. From the perspective of the narratives and the ethics which permeate them, livability opens up into questions of recognition, social justice and care. People claim commonality: recognition as human, equality and inclusion in social goods, and care in public settings. These are the practical and ethical supports of livability. The narratives point also towards critiques of 'refugeedom', the policies and practices that form the discursive and material conditions within which people seeking asylum attempt to make livable lives.

An emphasis in political debates and much print media in the United Kingdom (UK) on perceived issues with ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity has contributed to a narrative of worry and fear. Despite such hostile discourse, people find ways of living together with diversity every day.  The encounters which I am concerned with in the following degree project are taking place through community theatre with Mafwa Theatre in Leeds where women from asylum seeker, refugee, and wider communities are socialising and cooperating over fun and simple drama activities. The purpose of this thesis is to better understand the different participants’ lived experiences of the theatre space, how they view their role in the group, and how they perceive diversity in the group. The research questions are explored with qualitative research methods of individual interviews with Mafwa members, the facilitators, and a volunteer, participant observation during the weekly drama sessions, and document analysis of printed, online, and audio materials. With this degree project, I aim to contribute to the discussion about everyday multiculturalism and living with diversity in the UK. The theoretical framework consists of the concept of hospitality which helps me explore how hospitable spaces are shaped and negotiated by different contributors, and conviviality which embraces the complexity of social relations without romanticising them and can help us reach a better understanding of how to live together without a fear for each other’s differences.  The findings show that the different participants view the drama group as a hospitable community of acceptance and respect within a hostile environment for asylum seekers and refugees at the national level. The space offers a well-needed opportunity for the women to have fun, develop their creative skills, and escape day-to-day concerns. Moreover, the study shows that besides being proud co-producers of artistic practice, all participants are also active co-creators of shaping the hospitable space and a ‘convivial culture’. Finally, despite misunderstandings and disagreements in the group, the participants express having bonded over similarities and learned from differences rather than describing diversity as something to fear.

This thesis investigates how a change in the municipal asylum seeker share affects voting for the Sweden Democrats (SD), a far-right anti-immigration party, in both national Parliament and Municipal Council elections in Sweden. To circumvent the endogeneity problem, I use an instrumental variables strategy where the share of available apartments in Allmännyttan is used as an instrument for the municipal share of asylum seekers living in Migration Agency provided accommodation (ABO). I have exploited municipal level panel data on municipality characteristics, allocations of asylum seekers and national elections. I am not able to find support for any effect of a change in the municipal share of asylum seekers on voting for the Sweden Democrats. Consequently, I cannot provide any support for either the group position theory or the contact hypothesis.

The aim of this study is to analyse the security implications of refugee flows to South Africa. The country is reputed to host the largest number of refugees and asylum seekers in the world and is also the foremost refugee destination of choice on the African continent. It therefore becomes pertinent that a consideration of the security implications is necessary in this age of global migration. The dissertation is based on three main assumptions to be investigated and tested, namely: > The main causes of refugee flows to South Africa reside in a number of push-factors in the sending countries, but also in a number of pull-factors in South Africa. > The security implications of refugee flows to South Africa are exacerbated by a number of political, socio-economic and administrative issues in South Africa. > Although concern over some of the security issues relating to refugee flows to South Africa have been officially expressed, policy responses have been ambiguous. The study is undertaken against the background of the concept of national security, specifically in developing countries. It is within these parameters that the security implications of refugees in South Arica are analysed, especially from the perspective of political, economic, social and environmental dimensions. The study mainly focuses on the period 1994 to 2010, as it is within this period that major developments regarding refugee issues in South Africa occurred. / Dissertation (MSecurity Studies)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Political Sciences / Unrestricted

Refugees show higher prevalence of psychological disorders compared to the general population in host countries. At the same time, there is a lack in the provision of and knowledge about appropriate transcultural mental health support. The overall goal of this thesis was to investigate insider perspectives on the mental health support for refugee patients (MHSR). More specifically, the objective was to obtain insights into the MHSR in Brazil, a Latin-American and developing country. The research on refugees in Brazil is sparse, but the need to provide adequate MHSR is increasing with growing numbers of people who seek refuge in the country. The goal was approached in the first section of this thesis by reviewing and synthesising the existing research. In this, we aimed at obtaining insights into qualitative research findings on the perspectives of professionals and refugee patients concerning MHSR. The section starts with Chapter 2, a qualitative evidence synthesis of ten primary qualitative studies referring to 145 insider perspectives. The main findings highlight the importance of a trusting therapeutic relationship, of the adaptation of therapeutic approaches to patients’ needs and situation, and of psycho-social support, cultural sensitivity, as well as of external support structures for professionals. Negative or hindering aspects were identified as a lack of mental healthcare structures, the impact of the postmigration situation on patients’ well-being, cultural and language differences, and patients’ mistrust. Finally, ambivalences were formulated regarding verbal therapies, trauma exposure, the use of mental healthcare, and the impacts of the work with refugees on professionals. Section I ends with Chapter 3, that critically evaluates the method of a qualitative evidence synthesis and discusses some of its challenges, particularly with regard to the question of how to abstract and merge primary qualitative results without losing their in-depth-meaning. Chapter 3 also poses the question of the universality of the findings of the QES, as no primary studies from non-Western countries were included. The need for a greater international plurality in the research field of MHSR motivates Section II of this thesis. This second section looks at how psychologists in Brazil perceive the MHSR in this Latin- American country. Three different studies were performed for this second section using qualitative semi-structured interviews with professionals and thematic analysis, as well as consensual qualitative research strategies. The first study investigated how psychologists perceive the psychological suffering and symptoms of their refugee patients. It also provides background and contextual information for the following parts, such as concerning refugee patients’ countries of origin. The investigation found that the most frequently described conditions in refugee patients were anxiety and depression disorder and symptoms, grief, and PTSD symptoms. However, the results also showed that the use of manuals for the categorical classification and diagnosis of mental disorders is a debated topic among psychologists in Brazil, since psychiatric diagnostic categories are often perceived to be a poor representation of a person’s experience. Psychologists tended to stress patients’ socio-political suffering and to conceptualise patients’ symptoms as expected reactions to their profound losses and ongoing contextual instability. Participants discussed refugees suffering especially in relation to four clusters: the postmigration stressors, traumatic experiences, flight as life rupture, and the current situation in the country of origin. The second study of Section II explored the perspectives of psychologists on providing “acolhimento psicológico” (psychological care) for refugees in Brazil. It analysed the general experiences, positive and negative aspects, as well as facilitators and necessary changes to better the MHSR. Results showed, that psychologists experienced operating in a novel, precarious and xenophobic context, which led them to move beyond classical psychological work, engage in practical assistance and become very close to clients. Participants reported on a lack of public structures, insufficient competencies of professionals and high levels of staff fatigue. At the same time, they described gaining new perspectives and benefiting from witnessing their clients’ resilience. In terms of facilitating factors for the psychological care process participants pointed to the importance of psychologists being flexible, authentic, of showing a high resistance to frustration, and of making use of group-based approaches. Participants suggested that, in order to better refugees’ mental health in Brazil, efforts should focus on adopting a more social perspective in psychology, developing antidiscrimination campaigns, building policies for refugee’ integration, and scaling up investments in mental healthcare in general. The third study of Section II, retrieved the psychotherapists’ experience of providing psychotherapy for refugees in Brazil. Supportive and hindering elements in psychotherapy with refugee patients in Brazil were identified at eight different levels: the patient, the therapist, their relationship, the setting, the psychotherapeutic approach, the context of the patient, the context of the therapist and the societal context in Brazil. Hindering elements in the therapy included missing preparation for the integration of refugees, lack of interpreters, patients’ mistrust and therapists feeling untrained, helpless and becoming overinvolved. Supportive elements included a trusting therapeutic relationship, therapists’ cultural humility and structural competence, patients’ societal inclusion as well as working with groups and networks. This investigation showed that in light of the enormous structural challenges for the mental well-being of refugee patients, therapists’ flexibility and the reliance on collective work and networks of support is crucial. Finally, Section III, the integrative discussion summarizes, compares and contrasts the results of the various studies of this dissertation regarding, again, helpful/positive, ambivalent, and supportive/negative factors in the MHSR. These synthesised results are subsequently embedded within and discussed in relation to the scientific literature. The thesis closes by considering its limitations and by providing suggestions for future research, as well as an overall conclusion.

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The purpose of this thesis is to understand how Danish and Swedish news media and governments framed “the refugee crisis” in the context of the Swedish implementation of border controls in 2015 and the removal of external border controls in 2017. We operationalize framing theory (Entman 1993) to understand the differences and similarities in the framing of "the refugee crisis” in Denmark and Sweden. While the main focus is media representations, policy documents are included in the study to deepen the analysis and understand the similarities and differences across migration policies. Through a quantitative content analysis of 259 newspaper articles from eight Danish and Swedish newspapers, a framing analysis of ten policy documents and a qualitative framing analysis of the overall frames in the news articles and policy documents, we identified a dialectic relation of power between media and political discourse in both countries. We found that issues defined and represented in policy documents tend to reflect the challenges that news media define and the other way around. Even though Danish and Swedish newspapers and policy documents highlight similar problems, our data indicates clear differences in migration policies, in the two countries, in terms of the framing of asylum seekers, refugees and political events in 2015.