With unique historical, political, and social perceptions, the experiences of refugees, and later, their children, contribute to a more complex narrative of remembrance, citizenship, and belonging in the United States. Often framed as creating a disconnect between generations, intergenerational trauma may be addressed by surfacing different forms of affective and embodied remembrance. Recognizing the unique identities and subjectivities that the second-generation, Southeast Asian American (SEAA) population embodies (and the implications that those have for how the U.S. perceives and produces itself), this project engages narrative inquiry and participatory visual methodologies to explore how the children of Southeast Asian (SEA) refugees make meaning of their family histories and themselves through negotiating generational memories. This project shows that SEAA young people are actively engaging with the legacies of their families and communities as they move through the world. Through a series of individual interviews, participant creations, a whole group sharing circle, and a group co-created artifact, my analysis shows the ways that SEAA continually look inward and turn outward, seeking to understand, build, and re-member as they negotiate generational memories. As SEAA move toward continuity through a deep recognition and, ultimately, acceptance of rupture, they engage in healing practices. Drawing from the ways that a feminist refugee epistemology asserts the refugee as knower and centers their rich, complicated daily experiences and the ways that healing justice centers the transformation of institutions and relationships to facilitate individual and collective healing, this project offers continued opportunities to theorize the connections between historical understandings and how young people with legacies of displacement see themselves as actors in relation to those around them.

While housing has been recognized as an essential component of refugee resettlement, access to housing is difficult for refugees. This thesis examines the approach to essential services like housing services provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs). In studying how FBOs conceptualize the home and convey their approach to housing for refugees, I aim to put emphasis on the concept of home. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine the narrative FBOs have created of home for refugees I will argue that FBOs conceptualize home as immaterial, meaning that it is an 'affective construct' or an emotional feeling rather than a material reality. The research revealed that while FBOs work in the community is undeniable the focus on creating the emotions associated with the home, the limited attention to a physical place refugees can call home reveals the lack of attention granted to FBO’s websites in their approach to housing for refugees. Therefore, the physical concept of the home needs to receive more attention from FBOs.

The scope of this research is to spark conversation among members of receiving communities concerning their attitudes toward displaced populations by using Euripides' Trojan Women as a facilitator. By many outside the Classics profession, the study of antiquity is often perceived as a discipline disconnected from current issues; however, remembering and examining the past can greatly shape the present. Ancient Greek theater is perhaps the genre that best lends itself to be scrutinized today for social purposes. In fact, it promoted introspection among the body of Athenian citizens by highlighting inequalities and imbalances in power structures between opposing parties. This study suggests that tragedies can still fulfill the same function. In particular, this essay focuses on Trojan Women, with the intent to unearth group dynamics between the Greek aggressors and the Trojan slaves, and to apply its lessons to recent humanitarian emergencies. Philological work shows that the Greeks in the play attempt to dehumanize their captives through practices of legal violence, objectification, and silencing. Nevertheless, the women find sanctuary from human annihilation through their ability to speak and to be heard. Dominant classes today employ similar techniques to disempower incoming societies and to deprive them of their political voice. Thanks to tragedy's ability to create a distancing effect through mythological narratives, public readings of Trojan Women might enable members of hosting countries to engage more readily in discussions concerning the theme of displacement that address their own biases. Therefore, this thesis argues that the analysis and reception of Trojan Women can elucidate the worldwide crisis in welcoming those seeking shelter and help groups asked to receive displaced populations make more compassionate and informed decisions.

This research has investigated how Facebook contributes to young refugees aged between 18-30 seeking a job in Jönköping. Past research revealed that the usage of social media has drastically increased during the past years so social media has become one of the main forms of communication. The refugee crisis started after the war in the Middle East in 2011 and refugees faced many challenges after their arrival to a new country, including finding a job which is one of the most important concerns among them. The fact we mentioned inspired us to do the research about how Facebook impacts young refugees’ employment in Sweden.  In this paper, we chose a qualitative method including interviews and surveys from a small group that is representative of the larger population. This research conducted a semi-structured interview which consisted of a list of fixed questions that followed with open-end answers to help us to gain more data. The study result showed that most of the participants think Facebook is a useful tool to use for finding job information. We concluded five features used by participants for searching job information on Facebook which were search bar, Facebook groups, companies’ Facebook pages, the Job search feature on the Facebook menu, and social networking on Facebook. In conclusion, we observed that Facebook is playing a positive role in helping young refugees aged between 18-30 in Jönköping to gain job information. This research has been conducted in a limited range of young refugees aged 18-30 in Jönköping, Sweden. Therefore, further research from a broader range of participants might be a complement to this research. Moreover, it might provide additional knowledge if the further investigation shows how Facebook impacts differently on the young refugees who come to Sweden with family or friends, and unaccompanied young refugees.

No description available.

Uganda currently hosts 1.4 million refugees and conflict-affected people. Known as the “best place” in Africa to be a refugee, Uganda’s policies encourage self-sufficiency and local integration. However, many refugees, particularly women and girls, face persistent challenges. Understanding the reproductive health needs of this population and exploring the accessibility of services for conflict-affected populations in this low-income host country is a priority. This multi-methods study aimed to assess the reproductive health needs of displaced Congolese women in camp- and urban-based settings in Uganda. We interviewed key informants, facilitated focus group discussions with refugee women, and conducted in-depth interviews with Congolese women of reproductive age to better understand knowledge, attitudes, practices, and services. Our results suggest that Congolese refugees have significant unmet reproductive health needs. Maternal health and delivery care is characterized by insufficient human resources, inconsistent medication availability, discrimination, bribery, and communications challenges. The availability of contraceptive products, including emergency contraception, is limited in camp-based settings due to supply-chain management challenges and theft by staff; lack of contraceptive knowledge among Congolese refugees shapes use. Finally, the legal restrictions on abortion lead to unsafe practices among refugees and pose a barrier to the provision of post-abortion care. This study provides insight for opportunities to improve the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services to refugees in Uganda to ensure that the infrastructure and processes align with national policies and international guidelines.

Background: Finland faced a large inflow of refugees during 2015-2016. That forced the professionals from different fields to reflect on services they produce. Occupational therapy and research among the mental health care of refugees is limited. In order to improve and strengthen services for refugees, we need to listen to their needs. Aim: This study aimed to investigate how adult refugees experience the Finnish mental health services, and what kind of self-perceived well-being elements do adult refugees find as important towards better quality of life. Method: This qualitative grounded theory study consists of six refugee interviews. The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis and the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework was used as a framework for the presentation of the data. Results: The Finnish mental health interventions are mostly available and based on discussion and medication. Information and supporting environment, occupational and social participation, self- direction, and time use are the base of the experienced well-being. The results show that occupational therapy can offer tools for the mental health work among refugees, bring important information of the person´s occupational history, needs, roles, and habits, and it should be taken alongside traditional therapies.

This thesis explores the dialectical relationship between humanitarianism and neo-nationalism, as it is reified through the rhetoric of the Swedish aid organization Right Hand Aid. It initiates an inquiry of the organization and provides a new example of how humanitarianism is used for legitimizing and depoliticizing purposes. The analysis is based on research questions concerning how humanitarianism is appropriated and instrumentalized to suit the organization’s neo-nationalist agenda for ”aid on site” and against reception of refugees, and what the consequences of this rhetorical fusion are. The theoretical framework is composed of theories on humanitarianism (politics of life, utilitarian rationality and humanitarian iconography), neo-nationalism (economic chauvinism), eurocentrism and depoliticization. The bulk of the empirical material consists of written and visual sources, which is why textual analysis has constituted the main method. This has been complemented by semi-structured interviews with RHA representatives. The thesis argues that RHA’s neo-nationalist agenda is depoliticized by the appropriation of humanitarianism, which from a global perspective implies depoliticization of a primordialist, eurocentric stance towards the global flows of aid and people, hence reifying the power relationship between the global north and the global south.

This thesis investigates how refugees experience their participation in civil society organizations and how such participation affects their social integration. Focusing on the experiences of refugees from a community center in Denmark, this qualitative study explores what resources refugees gain from civil society activities and whether these gains affect their social relationships within the host society. Data collected via seven semi-structured interviews and observations is analyzed using the concepts of social capital, human capital and social integration. The findings demonstrate that resources gained through civil society participation pave the way for socialization opportunities between refugees and communities in the host society, thus, enhance social integration. Social resources such as social networks, mental support and civic values, as well as human capital gains in the form of language skills and information foster refugees’ social integration. The study demonstrates that social capital, human capital and social integration are interconnected, as social and human capital affect each other’s accumulation and eventually contribute to social integration. Another significant finding is that refugees think integration needs to be a mutual process between newcomers and the native population. The study further indicates the importance refugees attach to language as an essential tool for social integration.

This thesis investigates how the United Nations’ (UN) framing of “climate refugees” impacts global humanitarian migration and refugee governance in the context of anthropogenic climate change in which border zones become spaces of biopolitical decision making which impacts both governance strategies and International Relations as an academic field. It argues from a poststructuralist perspective that the UN’s discourse centred around climate change related human movement, the issue of “climate refugees” is downplayed, and “climate refugees” become bare life while their claims to legal protection are delegitimised. Thus, despite the concept of “climate refugees” becoming increasingly important in the Anthropocene, the UN’s discourse has remained vastly unchanged since McNamara’s analysis of it in 2007. The UN’s governance related discourse and reasoning concerning “climate refugees” and (humanitarian) global governance is explored through a Critical Discourse Analysis that examines a set of official UN documents which are relevant to the issue of forced human movement in the context of anthropogenic climate change.