Navigating precarious terrains: Reconceptualising refugee youth settlement

Nunn, Caitlin; Gifford, Sandra M.; McMichael, Celia; Correa-Velez, Ignacio

Abstract

Settlement is widely understood as the final stage of the refugee journey: a durable solution to forced displacement and a stable environment in which former refugees can rebuild their lives. However, settlement is shaped by rapidly changing socio-political forces producing contingent, unpredictable, and even hostile environments. This article draws upon Vigh’s concept of social navigation to reconceptualize settlement as a continuation of a fraught journey in which refugee settlers must continually seek new strategies to pursue viable futures. We illustrate with an in-depth case study of the settlement journey of one refugee-background young man over his first eight years in Melbourne, Australia.

Citation

Nunn, C., Gifford, S. M., McMichael, C., & Correa-Velez, I. (2017). Navigating precarious terrains: Reconceptualising refugee youth settlement. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 33(2), 45-55

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 24, 2017
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Sep 6, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 6, 2017
• Journal: Refuge : Canada's national newsletter on refugees.
• Print ISSN: 0220-5113
• Electronic ISSN: 1920-7336
• Publisher: York University Libraries
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 45-55
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1350218
• Publisher URL: https://refuge.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/refuge/article/view/40462