Migration Letters
Volume 16, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 379-387

Powerful in flight: Cambodian and Karen refugee narratives of strength and resilience (Article)

Lewis D.C. , Young S.S.
  • a Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, 201 Family Science Center II (House D), 405 Sanford Dr., Athens, GA 30602, United States
  • b Savannah Spivey Young, 5205 Nevada Ave., Nashville, TN 37209, United States

Abstract

Traumatic experiences before and during flight and resettlement shape the lives and needs of refugee families. Yet, the agency of the refugees themselves -that is, their will and ability to make decisions regarding their present and future-is often ignored by caseworkers, policy-makers, and members of their resettlement communities. A better understanding of how refugees frame, respond to, and recover from stressors associated with their journeys will help illuminate their needs and personal agency. We focus on the power and resiliency refugees possess as they navigate the terrain of flight and settlement. We argue that when we, and others such as humanitarian service agencies and policy makers, clearly hear and respect refugees' voices, we can begin to co-create responses to refugees' needs in collaboration with the refugees who, themselves, exhibit resiliency and hold valuable everyday forms of wisdom surrounding what they need to live successfully in a host nation. Copyright © 2019 MIGRATION LETTERS Transnational Press London

Author Keywords

Southeast Asian resettlement Resilience Refugees Family

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85069646570&doi=10.33182%2fml.v16i3.639&partnerID=40&md5=1b2ed467e350e4335aa64d27034a41a3

DOI: 10.33182/ml.v16i3.639
ISSN: 17418984
Original Language: English