Home journeys: Im/mobilities in young refugee and asylum-seeking women’s negotiations of home

Abstract

Research with refugees and asylum seekers tends to be divided into research with adults or research with children under the age of 18. This is despite relational approaches to studying age that contest such dichotomous and fixed understandings of ‘life-stages’. This article seeks to provide an insight into the experiences of young women who in legal, policy and migration research terms are placed along the borders of this category divide. The article explores the experiences of young (16- to 25-year-old) refugee and asylum-seeking women in the UK and examines the role of im/mobility in their negotiations of home.

Home sweet home? Professionals' understanding of ‘home’ within residential care for unaccompanied youths in Sweden

“…Some attention seems to have been given to unaccompanied minors and the concept of home, mainly in the UK. Sirriyeh (, , ) confirms the complexity of the concept and emphasizes the necessity of broadening the understanding. She argues that for the foster carers' receptions of unaccompanied children in the UK, just any kind of hospitality is not enough to build a good relationship.…”

“…The concept of home is discussed in several disciplines, e.g. anthropology, sociology, social geography and social work, where the meaning and the idea of the concept are viewed from both empirical (Huttunen ; Sirriyeh , , ) and more theoretical viewpoints (Douglas ; Easthope ). It can be concluded in this initial phase that there is no one clear definition to be found on the concept of home.…”

“…Both concepts were treated as self‐explanatory and therefore taken often for granted. But research has shown that there are much more complex meanings related to the issue of home (Douglas ; Ahmed ; Sirriyeh , , ).…”

‘Do you want this?’ Exploring newcomer migrant girls’ peer reception in Norwegian day care: Experiences with social exclusion through the exchange of self-made artefacts

“…As cultural extensions of the self, role-play becomes an autobiographical performance of relation and identification with others (Nsamenang, 2008). Recognizing role-play as a form of border crossing (Mullholland & Wallace, 2003;Sirriyeh, 2010), performances within their new surroundings are crosscultural meaning making instances without the requirement of abandoning their existing cultures (Mullholland & Wallace, 2003). Central within reception of cultural identities will be whether or not they are considered suitable, assessed as looking suitable, dressing suitably, speaking suitably, behaving suitably, and can play suitably .…”

Unaccompanied minor asylum seekers – processes of subject formation and feelings of belonging in the context of educational experiences in Switzerland

“…There is widespread consensus that going to school is important for young refugees. Education can be protective, act as a coping mechanism, provide a sense of normality and stability and hope for the future, help overcome isolation and trauma, build resilience, help integration, and may also serve a social purpose by allowing them to meet new people and build friendships (Bird, 2003;Brownlees and Finch, 2010;Dryden-Peterson, 2011;Hek, 2005a, b;Kirk and Cassity, 2007;Machel, 1996;Matthews, 2008;Mosselson, 2006;Pascual, 2003;Sinclair, 2001;Sirriyeh, 2010;Walker, 2011). Despite this recognized importance of education and the children's right to education (guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, 1989, and other legal frameworks), access to education is not given in every case as UAMs are subject not only to children's rights but also to their host country's asylum legislation.…”