Refugee young people (re)forming identities: The role of social networks

Type of content
Journal Article
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Degree name
Publisher
Journal Title
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Language
Date
2019
Authors
Langat , Kiprono
Major , Jae
Wilkinson , Jane
Abstract

Educational contexts around the world are increasingly characterized by diversity, including a rise in students from refugee backgrounds. Much research has focused on the educational needs of these students and the particular struggles they experience in educational contexts. The increasing number of refugee and asylum seeking children in Australia calls for rethinking approaches to enhance the acculturation process in ways that build on individuals’ prior knowledge and understanding of self. This paper draws on data from a larger case study that focused on Sudanese young people in regional Australia and investigated their out-of-school activities, networks, and practices and how these contributed to their success across a range of contexts. Drawing on perspectives of identity and theories of social capital, we discuss the role of social networks in generating social capital and what this means in terms of the (re)formation of students’ identities in regional locations, and we consider how this can contribute to educational success. We suggest that the resources in regional areas present both a challenge and an opportunity for young former-refugee people in terms of repositioning themselves in new social, cultural, and educational contexts. The paper examines how the young people developed their own momentum, rationality, and legitimacy in their identity (re)formation, and suggests that educational settings need to connect with and understand young people’s out-of-school resources to avoid deficit narratives that lead to poor educational outcomes.

Description
Citation
Langat K, Major J, Wilkinson J (2019). Refugee young people (re)forming identities: The role of social networks. The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives. 18(3). 74-87.
Keywords
identity, refugee young people, education, social capital, resettlement, success
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
39 - Education::3904 - Specialist studies in education::390401 - Comparative and cross-cultural education
44 - Human society::4406 - Human geography::440601 - Cultural geography
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All rights reserved unless otherwise stated