Refugee community organisations and dispersalNetworks, resources and social capital

Music, dancing and clothing as belonging and freedom among people seeking asylum in the UK

“…Nevertheless, Stack and Iwasaki (2009, p. 256) suggest that although an often neglected and trivialised domain of life, leisure provides culturally grounded opportunities and contexts for Afghan refugees in Canada to 'effectively cope with and adapt to the challenges of life in their host community'. What a focus on leisure can offer is improved understanding of how effective integration goes beyond, and often happens outside of functional spaces of education, employment, health, housing and formal organisations (Griffiths, Sigona, & Zetter, 2005;Lewis, 2010;Rublee & Shaw, 1990). Considering refugee and migrant leisure lives beyond economic and functional spheres can help elucidate the negotiation of hybrid identities in novel surroundings through processes of adaptation, belonging and 'home'-building.…”

Language Learning and Integration of Adult Bhutanese Refugees: An Ethnographic Study

“…The importance of co-ethnic communities and the networks they contain has been well-recognized in refugee studies (Ager & Strang, 2010;Griffiths, Sigona, & Zetter, 2005).…”

“…Like Harka, Puja's lack of desire to step out of her comfort zone of ethnic enclave was sharply linked to the availability of companionship and support networks within her own community, in combination with the risks involved in developing new social networks through the use of English. Griffiths et al (2005) warn that such overreliance on in-group social networks may lead to a situation of ethnic ghettoization, preventing migrants from integrating into and reaping the benefits of English learning from the wider Australian society.…”

“Steps on the Way to Social Integration”: Initial Social Interactions of Refugees From Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan With the Host Society, Their Relevance, Assessment and Implications

“…CASTLES et al 2002;GRIFFITHS et al 2005;PERRY 2005;SPENCER, 2006;ATFIELD et al 2007;ZETTER et al 2005) have recognised that the integration of refugees is rarely a straightforward process. Furthermore, some consider the notion of integration itself to be problematic in that it may be seen as a requirement imposed on migrants to 'fit in'.…”