The impact of resettlement on Karen refugee family relationships: A qualitative exploration

Refugee resettlement policy in the United States prioritizes family reunification, meaning, resettling families that may have been separated for years are reuniting and reestablishing connections while integrating into a new culture. Scholarship on the impact of resettlement and integration has focused primarily on the individual level, despite evidence that strong family relationships are a documented protective factor for refugee families. This paper aims to explore the impact of resettlement on Karen refugee families' relationships. Data from 6 focus groups with 36 Karen refugee community members and interviews with 8 key stakeholders suggests that refugee families are at risk of a constellation of relational issues that are exacerbated by the stress of resettlement. Data also indicates that families have indigenous strategies for solving problems that could be harnessed to develop culturally relevant family support services.     

“If they misbehaved,we took a stick to discipline them”: Refugee mothers' struggles raising children in the United States

Although there are compelling examples of stress put upon refugee families, there is little systematic attention placed upon how the refugee women themselves view child‐rearing. In this exploratory research, refugee women's narratives concerning their understanding and perceptions of child‐rearing in the United States are studied. Seventeen refugee women raising children living in the Greater Portland region in Maine were interviewed. While resettling in the United States, the participants shared being overburdened by the loss of social structures that supported their parenting beliefs and strategies back home. They perpetually encounter cultural conflicts in the United States that result in a continuous process of contradictory interpretations and negotiations while rearing and disciplining children. Recommendations are provided for service providers working with this population. Professionals have to be cognizant of the hierarchical decision‐making and retributive strategies used by refugee families when disciplining children. Tools, that is, explaining, teaching, and rewarding children for coping with parenting challenges without resorting to punitive discipline methods can be introduced to refugee families. Professionals need to focus on providing refugee families with basic needs and addressing social and emotional challenges so that they can better integrate with the new communities as they rebuild their lives.     

Isolation and Insecurity: Resettlement Issues Among Muslim Refugee Women in Perth,Western Australia

Refugee Muslim women face a number of formidable obstacles in the resettlement process within Australia. As Muslims, they are a religious minority that has come under considerable racial attack in recent years in the wake of international terrorism. As refugees, they are struggling to put past traumas behind them and find ‘security’ in a strange land with different customs. As women, they are trying to find a voice for themselves amidst ethnic traditions that limit their range of expression and an Australian society that aspires to, but has not yet achieved, equality for women. Our qualitative study, upon which this paper is based, explored resettlement issues of Muslim refugee women during their first five years of arrival in Perth, Australia. It is based on focus groups and semi‐structured interviews with 80 Muslim refugee women: 35 Iraqi, 34 Sudanese and 11 Afghan. Our study re‐affirms that well‐documented issues of resettlement continue to be poor English language competency, securing employment and accommodation and gender‐specific problems. In addition, however, our study highlights a new and emerging issue, which is that of personal, psychological and cultural insecurity, heightened by the current political climate and exacerbated by their religious background. This leads to problematic ‘intersections’ with an Australian society that is far more complex and more difficult to cope with than is portrayed in popular discourse and political rhetoric of the easy‐going ‘lucky country’.     

The ethics of human reproductive cloning: when world views collide

Two camps in bioethics with seemingly opposing world views have staked out conflicting positions regarding the ethics of human reproductive cloning. These camps do not appear to share common concepts or ways of reasoning through which to exchange views and come to a meeting of minds about uses of this technology. Yet analysis of their respective approaches to several issues surrounding reproductive cloning, such as where the ethical limits of individual reproductive choice lie, whether the use of this technology would violate human dignity, whether it would create risks to the resulting fetuses and children that would make its use intolerable, and whether it would challenge certain core social values, reveals that they are not wholly opposed to one another. Indeed, it displays that they hold certain beliefs, values, and concerns in common. Moreover, it indicates that the different world views that they each presuppose, while flawed in certain respects, do not collide in every respect, but can be reconciled in significant ways that provide fertile ground for agreement about several issues related to human reproductive cloning.     

The Ethics of Human Reproductive Cloning: When World Views Collide

Two camps in bioethics with seemingly opposing world views have staked out conflicting positions regarding the ethics of human reproductive cloning. These camps do not appear to share common concepts or ways of reasoning through which to exchange views and come to a meeting of minds about uses of this technology. Yet analysis of their respective approaches to several issues surrounding reproductive cloning, such as where the ethical limits of individual reproductive choice lie, whether the use of this technology would violate human dignity, whether it would create risks to the resulting fetuses and children that would make its use intolerable, and whether it would challenge certain core social values, reveals that they are not wholly opposed to one another. Indeed, it displays that they hold certain beliefs, values, and concerns in common. Moreover, it indicates that the different world views that they each presuppose, while flawed in certain respects, do not collide in every respect, but can be reconciled in significant ways that provide fertile ground for agreement about several issues related to human reproductive cloning.     

Cultural case workers in child disability services: an evidence-based model of cultural responsiveness for refugee families

The medical/disabled category for quota refugees selected for resettlement in New Zealand allows entry to those who have either a medical condition that can be treated or helped in New Zealand or a disability that requires support. Children from refugee and other culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with impairments comprise an increasing proportion of the caseloads of Auckland region child health and disability services. For people from refugee backgrounds, the New Zealand disability system can be complex, difficult to understand and hard to navigate. Disability therapeutic, rehabilitative and support services are often non-existent in countries of origin. The interventions offered in western countries such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech language therapy may be unknown and therefore poorly understood by refugee clients and families. This article presents the findings of an evaluation of the establishment of cultural caseworker positions in the Waitemata District Health Board Child Development Service.     

社会地位、生活境遇与焦虑

本文运用定量研究方法,探讨了人们的社会地位和遭受不公正对待的生活境遇在焦虑形成中的作用。研究表明,社会地位（包括客观地位和主观地位）和生活境遇对焦虑的产生具有明显的影响,社会地位低的群体和生活境遇中遭受过不公正对待的人,更易产生焦虑。这些由社会地位和生活境遇等因素导致的焦虑对于个体的影响是偏向消极的;在社会因素的持续作用下,具有焦虑特征的个体增多,焦虑有可能从个体的心理问题转化为社会的心理问题。     

Storytelling as a tool: A family-based intervention for newly resettled Syrian refugee children

The conflict in Syria has resulted in a humanitarian emergency and one of the largest refugee crises in history. The Canadian government has welcomed over 40,000 Syrian refugees. Stressors caused by instability, conflict, and the resettlement process put refugee children at high risk for mental health problems. Anxiety is a common problem experienced by refugee children. Thus, early intervention is crucial to promote their adequate adaptation and development. This study explores the impact and value of a culturally specific family-based storybook intervention for newly resettled Syrian refugee children. Six refugee families participated. Anxiety symptoms were measured before and after the intervention, and families shared their experiences, thoughts, and feedback regarding the intervention. The results showed a significant decrease in children's anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, qualitative analyses demonstrated that the intervention was culturally relevant to Syrian refugee families and that it was effective in promoting children's overall well-being, agency, and family connectedness.     

Multi-task agency with unawareness

The paper introduces the problem of unawareness into multi-dimensional Principal–Agent theory. We introduce two key parameters to describe the problem, the extent and the effect of unawareness, show under what conditions it is optimal for the Principal to propose an incomplete or a complete contract, and characterize the incentive power of optimal linear contracts. If Agents differ in their unawareness, optimal incentive schemes can be distorted for both aware and unaware Agents, because, different from standard contract theory, the single-crossing property fails to hold. In this case, even aware Agents can be subject to inefficiently high or low incentives.     

Which employers have refugee employees—And which do not? Employer typologies developed through hierarchical cluster analyses

Employers can be regarded as gatekeepers of jobs. They decide how to post vacancies, whom to recruit and whom to dismiss. In recent years, a growing body of research has highlighted the crucial role of employers in relation to labour market participation of disadvantaged groups. This article contributes to this research by exploring which types of employers have refugee employees—and which do not. We develop the typologies through hierarchical cluster analyses using a nationally representative survey of Danish workplaces. We find that the employers who have experiences with having refugee employees can be grouped into three based on their attitudes and preconceptions; knights, knaves and squires. Likewise, employers who have never had refugee employees can also be divided into three groups; aspiring knights, knights of fortune, and commoners. The groups differ in their attitudes and motivations for (not) having refugee employees. Our main contribution to the literature is the development of new nuanced employer typologies, and the finding that employers differ in their motivations for having, or not having, refugee employees.     

对中国社会转型期及其阶段性的认识与梳理

社会转型是指社会从传统型向现代型转变的过渡过程。改革开放以来,中国社会开始从整体上进入社会转型时期。从社会运行的角度分析,中国社会转型是指社会由恶性运行向中性运行,并进而向良性运行阶段转化的过程。从社会转型的主体内容分析,中国社会转型可以划分为三个阶段,即以经济改革为主体的阶段、以社会改革为主体的阶段和以政治改革为主体的阶段。当前中国已经进入以社会改革为主体的阶段,这是中国迈向现代社会不可或缺、至为重要的一个承上启下的阶段。     

Welfare reforms and the Refugee Resettlement Strategy: an opportunity to achieve meaningful employment outcomes for New Zealanders from refugee backgrounds?

Despite employment being consistently identified as a key factor in successful refugee resettlement, people from refugee backgrounds in Aotearoa New Zealand are overrepresented in unemployment statistics. Of those who do gain employment, few secure work that is adequately remunerated and commensurate with the person's skills and qualifications. This paper explores whether the two recent government-driven initiatives, the welfare reforms and the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy, provide an opportunity to address these issues. Based on previous research, the authors identify the main employment barriers facing people from refugee backgrounds. They argue that while the welfare reforms and the Refugee Resettlement Strategy are underpinned by a desire to see more people in employment, for real change to occur, an integrated holistic approach is needed. This approach needs to include additional resourcing for government-funded specialist one-on-one employment programmes that are available in all regions where refugees are resettled. These programmes combined with access to fully funded English language tuition and work experience and internship opportunities would help reduce the barriers people from refugee backgrounds face when seeking employment.     

A port in a storm: Spontaneous volunteering and grassroots movements in Amsterdam. A resilient approach to the (European) refugee crisis

This article seeks to expand knowledge about spontaneous volunteering in Amsterdam during the European refugee crisis in the winter of 2015–16. As formal institutions, which relied on a top–down command and control approach, were unable to handle the relatively large number of refugees who arrived in a short period of time, grassroots social movements based on bottom–up participation emerged. Grassroots volunteers were not only politically engaged, protesting against the strict refugee reception policy, but they also became involved in the crisis response, showing a great deal of flexibility. Although the social movements struggled with their organizational structures, they were able to adapt their missions and structures to changing circumstances. To achieve a resilience‐based response to future refugee influxes, this article advocates for formal response organizations to dismantle their static, top–down approach, and for social movements to find a balance between participation and professionalism. If institutionalized refugee response organizations adapt to the dynamics of local conditions, they could create the conditions for resilient solutions in the crisis context.     

全球化：超越民族国家，还是超越民族文化?

全球化的实质并不在于超越民族国家 ,而在于超越民族文化。因为民族国家既是一个政治意识形态共同体 ,又是一个民族文化共同体。全球化进程在消除了民族国家之间政治意识形态上的对立之后 ,各民族文化上的对立就成为全球化进程中的核心问题。只有在各民族文化的基础上 ,建立一种全球文化 ,才能真正超越各民族文化上的对立     

International-domestic linkages in a developing-country context: the case of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Since 1978, the Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar and taking refuge in Bangladesh. The state of Bangladesh is not a signatory to the Geneva Convention and does not recognize refugee rights, but the initial experiences with the Rohingya refugee population led the government to create a temporary and ad hoc domestic policy advisory and refugee management system, which eventually became highly politicized. There was also some degree of slow “externalization” of policy advice through the involvement of international organizations from 2006–2007 onward, mainly through the participation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). Over 2017–2018, there was a massive influx of refugees from Myanmar to Bangladesh. The domestic advisory and refugee management system lacked the capacity to manage the crisis and had to quickly and greatly externalize policy advice and refugee management. The UNHCR and IOM came in with a host of international organizational networks and coordinated with each other and the state through a multi-sectoral approach to manage the crisis. This externalization led to the systematization and institutionalization of the state’s domestic advisory system. However the effect of externalization on politicization is equivocal; on the one hand it decreased politicization of the domestic policy advisory system, but on the other hand, it created new levels of politicization.     

论社会治理原理与原则

社会治理时代正向我们走来,引起人们的极大关注。有什么样的社会就会有什么样的社会统治、社会管理、社会治理。在后工业化与全球治理的背景下,我国多质态的社会统治、社会管理、社会治理还将历时态与共时态地长期并存,同时呈现以政党治理、国家治理、政府治理三位一体的“独家管理”为主、社会自理或自治、合作或共同管理、相互管理或相互治理的多种模式。社会管理或治理主客体的二重性,往往使得原生性主体缺位,派生性或衍生性主体越位,形成社会管理或社会治理主客体之间的不对称、不对等的互动互补趋势。这种趋势必然要求在社会管理和社会治理过程中遵循共同但有区别的原则,以实现对社会的有效管理和治理。     

波普反本质主义与中国全球化思维

反本质主义思想在波普整个理论体系中占有重要的位置。作为一种文化思潮 ,这一思想的历史意义不仅在于它对传统思维方式的反叛 ,更在于它为我们展现出的多维的文化图景。在这个充满“活性”的文化图景中 ,蕴含了许多对人类社会、尤其是对中国现代化进程仍具有借鉴和警醒意义的启示。本文试图对其现代启示作一粗浅的挖掘 ,文章所涉及的四个方面 ,都是当代中国走向全球化过程中正在面临且容易走入误区的现实问题。     

房屋之外：嘉绒藏区房名制度背后的政治逻辑与社会生活

嘉绒藏族的房名在区分重名之人等方面起到类似姓氏的社会功能,但与汉族姓氏不同的是,房名体现着人与特定房屋而非特定父系祖先的具体关系。房名的命名规律和房名之间语义关联所呈现的地方性面貌背后,是房名制度作为封建等级时代的土司治术,它以房屋为单元拆分了纳粮服役的强制性义务,并赋予每户居住者集生存需求和象征资本于一体的不完全性权利,以实现“分房而治”的政治意图。而跨越房屋单元的血缘关系集合体则保留了梅因意义上的“前封建社会”互助传统,使得代代沿袭的婚姻与继嗣实践潜在地“收拢”了这种分裂的趋势。政治-管理逻辑与亲属-互助实践两股力量围绕房屋交织生成的辩证张力,为我们理解人与房屋的关系提供了一个新的视角。     

Ethnicity, migration and health: A population-based study of 338 refugees from Latin America, 396 nonrefugee immigrants from Finland and 161 from southern Europe and 996 age-, sex- and education-matched controls from Sweden

This article shows the influence of being a refugee from Latin America or a nonrefugee immigrant from southern Europe or Finland on self-reported illness, controlling for social factors and lifestyle. The study population consisted of 338 Latin American refugees, a random sample of 396 Finnish and 161 southern European immigrants and 996 age-, sex- and education-matched Swedish controls. The data were analysed unmatched with logistic regression (multivariate analysis) in main effect models. The strongest independent risk indicator for long-term illness was being a Latin American refugee (estimated odds ratio (OR)=2.96, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.19–3.82). There was a significant association between being a Latin American refugee and period prevalence, ill health and unsatisfied need for care. Being a southern European or Finnish immigrant was a risk indicator of ill health but was not associated with the other dependent factors. Not feeling secure in daily life was a strong risk indicator for long-term illness and ill health (estimated OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.26–2.76 and OR=3.04, 95% CI= 1.97–4.48) respectively). Being a Latin American refugee was equal in importance to traditional risk factors such as overweight and not taking regular exercise for long-term illness and ill health.     

Resettlement challenges faced by refugee claimant families in Montreal: lack of access to child care

Adult refugee claimants experience several well‐documented post‐migratory challenges. Little is known about the resettlement process for refugee claimant families with children. This study reports on 75 open‐ended, in‐depth interviews with refugee claimant families in Montreal about their resettlement challenges and their proposed solutions to them. These interviews were conducted with 33 dyads and triads of children and parents attending a paediatric hospital. Experiences accessing formal and informal child care in Montreal were addressed. Subsequently, a comparative policy analysis was conducted on residency eligibility criteria for child care subsidization. Twenty‐eight out of 39 parents (73%) report a lack of informal or formal child care and 15 out of 33 families (39%) propose improving access to formal child care services. They describe a lack of informal child care as a result of reduced social networks, and affordability as a barrier to formal child care services. Refugee claimants are not eligible for subsidized child care in Quebec. A comparative policy analysis within Canada and comparable countries reveals that this situation is not unique to Quebec. However, most provinces and European countries offer child care subsidies to refugee claimants. Refugee claimants should qualify for child care subsidies. Social workers and community organizations should consider their clients' child care needs in designing programmes and services.