Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies
Volume 16, Issue 4, 2018, Pages 391-412

“My World Is Upside Down”: Transnational Iraqi Youth and Parent Perspectives on Resettlement in the United States (Article)

Hess J.M. , Isakson B. , Nelson M. , Goodkind J.R.*
  • a Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
  • b Department of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
  • c St. Mary's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Grand Junction, CO, United States
  • d Department of Sociology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States

Abstract

The U.S. war with Iraq led to the displacement of millions of Iraqis, many of whom have resettled in the United States as refugees. We explore the challenges Iraqi families face after resettlement, with a particular focus on the agency of refugees and challenges/opportunities of familial social reproduction in a transnational context. We conducted 181 qualitative interviews with 38 Iraqis (11 youth, 27 adults) and 5 service providers. Our findings highlight the importance of exploring refugee agency and illuminate how the interplay between structure and agency in transnational contexts is a useful framework for understanding transformations around social roles. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

youth Agency families resettlement social reproduction Gender Transnationalism Refugees

Index Keywords

displacement young population Asian immigrant refugee gender identity population migration United States
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85030553056&doi=10.1080%2f15562948.2017.1338367&partnerID=40&md5=c959cc0a88f4d3fa0b854f9fa1b58aa1
DOI: 10.1080/15562948.2017.1338367
ISSN: 15562948
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English