MALEEHA IQBAL, PHD CANDIDATE
The Fragile Obligation: Gratitude, Discontent, and Dissent with Syrian Refugees in Canada
This article analyzes the emotional lives of Syrian refugee mothers in the first year of their recent resettlement in Canada. Drawing on two waves of interviews with 41 newcomer mothers, we find three main affective themes in their resettlement narratives: gratitude, discontent, and dissent. Together, they capture a reality we term the fragile obligation, which reflects coexisting conditions of migratory indebtedness, disappointment, and critique. Inspired by foundational work in Critical Refugee Studies and Asian American/Ethnic Studies, centering refugee affect holds promise for revising dominant scholarly theories of immigrant integration, assimilation, and belonging from migrants’ perspectives in an era of widespread backlash, especially against Syrian and MENA/Muslim immigrants and refugees. By identifying complex post-migration affective states like the fragile obligation, researchers can help build more effective policies and practices to support Syrians and other forced migrants.
Grandmothers Behind the Scenes: Subordinate Integration, Care Work, and Power in Syrian Canadian Refugee Resettlement
Research and policy concerning the Syrian Canadian diaspora has not prioritized elders. This article adds to scholarship about the well-being of newcomers admitted via the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative through a focus on grandmothers resettled within their multigenerational families. Using interviews and qualitative field research, we show how the authority and status these elder women once held in Syria may be undermined by their comparatively subordinate integration in Canada. Although new, post-migration configurations of power, care work, and community may present some opportunities, the burdens and dependencies of subordinate integration mostly constrain these elders from reclaiming their authority and status.
Learning Technology Systems in Everyday Life: Women's Experiences Navigating Refugee Resettlement in the United States
This article presents findings from research on women’s lived experiences with technology in refugee resettlement. Participants include focus group discussions with 22 refugee women and interviews with 26 staff from refugee serving organizations in Washington state. We adopt a feminist socio-technical approach and draw on feminist and transformative methodologies. The research engaged participants in discussions about technology including ICTs, household appliances, transportation technology, and financial services such as ATMs. From our findings, we consider how women learn technology and learn to navigate three socio-technical ecosystems in everyday life: (1) the resettlement process (2) public daily life, and (3) home and community.