Sudanese Perspectives on Resettlement in Australia

Abstract

Resettlement programs for people from a refugee background must respond to a variety of concerns as people from diverse backgrounds and often longstanding periods of upheaval and hardship enter their new resettlement communities. Host countries approach the demands of resettlement through varying programs and policies and those differences across countries can profoundly affect the newcomers' experiences. The current study employs quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the individual and contextual factors that influence the resettlement experience for adults from Sudan being resettled in Queensland, Australia. Ninety Sudanese adults were recruited through snowball sampling techniques for the quantitative study, with 10 individuals purposefully selected to complete the semistructured qualitative interview. In the quantitative sample, 25 to 30% of participants reported significant symptoms of psychological distress and frequent experiences of discrimination, and the majority of participants reported integration (identifying with both Australian and Sudanese cultures) as their method of acculturation. Participants reported feeling initially welcomed into Australia, with positive influences including bonding and bridging capital, which helped them in their adaptation, and negative influences including problems with the resettlement programs and experiences of discrimination. The findings underscore the importance of sociopolitical context on refugee experiences of the resettlement process.

Attitudes toward unauthorized immigrants, authorized immigrants, and refugees.

“…This is in contrast with debates over refugee resettlement elsewhere in the world (Murray, 2010) and suggests a general sense of support for refugee resettlement in the United States relative to other immigration policies. The findings across the three groups suggest that refugees and other authorized immigrants are not the focal groups in ongoing immigration debates.…”

Sudanese Humanitarian Migrants in Australian Refereed Journals

“…A number of studies have attempted to capture South Sudanese migrants' experiences in pre-migration, refugee status and post-migration from different disciplinary viewpoints (Schweitzer et al, 2006;Murray, 2010;Savage & HickeyMoody, 2012;Marlowe, 2011a;Marlowe, 2011b;Shakespeare-Finch & Wickham, 2009). These studies have identified positive and negative experiences in each of these stages and also revealed the positive hope South Sudanese migrants nevertheless have of fitting into Australian society.…”

“…South Sudanese migrants' psychological stress is identified in homesickness, separation from families, racial discrimination, lack of understanding of the Australian legal system, inability to access basic necessities, cultural conflicts and uncertainty of jobs (Shakespeare-Finch & Wickham, 2009;Murray, 2010;Khawaja et al, 2008). Separation from families, having experienced violence, having witnessed the murder of a family member or friend, and lacking facilities to fulfil their basic needs were mentioned as pre-migration traumatic conditions affecting anxiety, depression, somatisation and post-traumatic stress disorder (Marlowe, 2010a;Marlowe & Adamson, 2011).…”

“…Coping strategies using religious beliefs and upgrading social capital have been identified by these studies (Marlowe, 2011b;Murray, 2010;Khawaja et al, 2008;Schweitzer, Greenslade, & Kagee, 2007). Apart from these efforts, cognitive strategies such as reframing the situation, relying on available resources also help migrants to cope with their difficult situations (Khawaja et al, 2008).…”

Sudanese young people building capital in rural Australia: the role of mothers and community

“…Its proponents are often accused of paying scant attention to the negative elements of social relationships such as the associated obligations and restrictions, as well as the development of behaviours and attitudes in group members that are anti-social (Tzanakis 2013). Nonetheless, Putnams work on social capital concept has been particularly useful to us because social connectedness, in its various forms, can be closely linked to feelings of wellbeing for refugees and therefore, contribute to successful resettlement (Murray, 2010).…”