This PhD adopts an oral history approach to explore the importance of the Ethiopian coffee Buna ceremony in the lives of the participant Ethiopian forced miwants living in exile in London, UK. A primary objective was to place the personal oral testimonies and narratives within a rigorous research and ethical framework allowing the voice of the individual and community to be central to the process and recording the stories, histories and experiences of this much under-represented group within the field of migration and refugee studies. A central aim was to deepen our understanding of the significance of cultural traditions and rituals in the construction of identity, and to obtain a unique insight into the Ethiopian passion for the ritual 'Buna' ceremony as indicated by the fact that it remains a significant practice in exile. One of the key objectives was to explore how issues of gender, age, identity and well-being are maintained, transformed and challenged in exile within the context of re-settlement and more specifically in relation to the impact of the Buna ceremony on this complex, dynamic and challenging process. Finally, this research aims to explore the mental well-being issues facing the Ethiopian community in the UK and will focus on the use of the cultural Buna ritual as a means of alleviating some of the difficulties and challenges experienced by the participants in their attempts to settle and adapt to life in the UK. This study prioritises the complex and often-neglected issues of well-being and mental health within the Ethiopian community in exile and will contribute to the limited research on the experience of Ethiopian forced migrants in the UK.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:633526 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Palmer, David |
| Publisher | University of Kent |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds