scholarly journals Renegotiating Identity and Agency in Everyday Oppression: Experiences of Forced Migrant Youth in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Debra Torok ◽  
Jessica Ball
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Sociopolitical Environment ◽  
Identity And Agency ◽  
Migrant Youth ◽  
In Transit

This study explored how forced migrant youth in transit renegotiated their identity and agency after fleeing their homes and sociocultural connections, and while enduring ongoing precarity in a new, oppressive sociopolitical environment in Malaysia. As Malaysia is a non-signatory state that denies legal status to forced migrants, youth face significant structural barriers that constrain their capacities to participate in society and explore their identity. Using an innovative Peer Mediated Storyboard Narrative method (PMSN), thirteen adolescents visually depicted and then explained how their experiences of forced migration affected their sense of self, belonging, and future. Participants were receiving non-formal education and services from a migrant-serving agency in Malaysia while awaiting UNHCR adjudication of their application for resettlement. Youths’ transcribed narratives were the focus of analysis using constructivist grounded theory (CGT). Youth described a process whereby renegotiating identity was inextricably linked to (re)claiming agency, if only in situated ways, as they navigated oppression, discrimination, and rejection. Their renegotiation of identity involved (re)evaluating loss and opportunity, (re)constructing belonging, and working through prescribed identities. As youth renegotiated identities, they continuously sought to recreate agency, or a sense of ownership, over their experiences and stories. Their agency was situated within seemingly ordinary assertions of preserving and expanding their identities, forging spaces of belonging, and defining their own narratives rather than accepting prescribed identities. Perceived family support, duration of stay in Malaysia, and experiences as a girl or boy within their communities were key elements that shaped youths’ negotiation. Far from being passive recipients of circumstance, forced migrant youth strategically navigated systemic oppression and actively strove to reconstruct their identity and ownership over their experiences.

scholarly journals Existence theory: Outline for a theory of social behaviour

2021 ◽  
pp. 1468795X2199824
Author(s):  
Patrick Baert ◽  
Marcus Morgan ◽  
Rin Ushiyama
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Existence Theory ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Cultural Expectations

This article introduces ‘existence theory’ as a new approach to sociological theory and research. Existence theory starts from the assumption that people organise their lives around a limited set of existential milestones. Cultural expectations are such that without the accomplishment of those milestones, individuals may experience their lives as incomplete. Examples of milestones can include the attainment of formal education, a lasting partnership and the creation of a family, but in general the milestones which are important to individuals and their precise articulation will depend on a variety of cultural and structural factors. The achievement of existential milestones often depends on that of other existential milestones, thereby producing what we call an ‘existential ladder’. The article also elaborates on the significance of ‘existential urgency’ in that, due to a variety of factors (some biological, some cultural and structural), there are time limits on when certain existential milestones ought to be achieved by. In contemporary society, we note that individuals seem to have more choice about which milestones are important to them and when they can be achieved, although we emphasise that this flexibility is unevenly distributed. This then provides a steppingstone towards an elaboration of the power dynamics and inequalities underlying both the experience and the achievement of existential milestones. Finally, this paper shows how existence theory helps to reflect on a variety of social phenomena of contemporary significance: populism in politics, forced migration, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Developing a sense of self-reliance: caregivers of infants with single-ventricle heart disease during the interstage period

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Flerida Imperial-Perez ◽  
MarySue V. Heilemann ◽  
Lynn V. Doering ◽  
Jo-Ann Eastwood ◽  
Nancy A. Pike
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Single Ventricle ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Home Monitoring ◽  
Palliative Surgery ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
Second Surgery

Abstract Background: Caring for infants after the first-stage palliative surgery for single-ventricle heart disease bring challenges beyond the usual parenting responsibilities. Current studies fail to capture the nuances of caregivers’ experiences during the most critical “interstage” period between the first and second surgery. Objectives: To explore the perceptions of caregivers about their experiences while transitioning to caregiver roles, including the successes and challenges associated with caregiving during the interstage period. Methods: Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology guided the collection and analysis of data from in person or telephonic interviews with caregivers after their infants underwent the first-stage palliative surgery for single-ventricle heart disease, and were sent to home for 2–4 months before returning for their second surgery. Symbolic interactionism informed data analyses and interpretation. Results: Our sample included 14 parents, who were interviewed 1–2 times between November, 2019 and July, 2020. Most patients were mothers (71%), Latinx (64%), with household incomes <$30K (42%). Data analysis led to the development of a Grounded Theory called Developing a Sense of Self-Reliance with three categories: (1) Owning caregiving responsibilities despite grave fears, (2) Figuring out how “to make it work” in the interstage period, and (3) Gaining a sense of self-reliance. Conclusions: Parents transitioned to caregiver roles by developing a sense of self-reliance and, in the process, gained self-confidence and decision-making skills. Our study responded to the key research priority from the AHA Scientific Statement to address the knowledge gap in home monitoring for interstage infants through qualitative research design.

scholarly journals The Pythia at Delphi

2019 ◽  
pp. 226-252
Author(s):  
Quinton Deeley
Keyword(s):  
Religious Experience ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Causal Processes ◽  
Identity And Agency ◽  
Sense Of Identity

At Delphi in Greece the inspired oracle of Apollo, the Pythia, underwent a form of possession in which she was viewed as a vehicle for the god. Nevertheless, uncertainty has surrounded the exact nature of the experience of possession of the Pythia, and what could cause or motivate such experiences. This chapter explores the use of a range of explicit analogies and explanatory models to interpret the experience of the Pythia at the sanctuary of Apollo, and the broader context within which it occurred. Understanding of the Pythia can draw on explanatory models that reach beyond the categories of divination and possession. This includes not only the wider class of revelatory experiences in which supernatural agents (such as God or gods, demons, or spirits) speak or act through humans, but other types of experience involving alterations of the sense of identity and agency, whether they occur in psychopathology or as normal variations in experience. Examples include hallucinations and alien control phenomena in schizophrenia, and their analogues in religious experience; dissociation; and experiments combining suggestion and neuroimaging to model revelatory and possession states. All provide potential insights into the forms of experience, attributed significance, and causal processes involved in Apollo’s communication through the Pythia. They also point to the central role of ideas, expectations, and beliefs in influencing dissociations of the sense of self, and make the Pythia’s possession by Apollo seem less exotic, improbable, or deviant than it might once have seemed.

Bangladeshi immigrants’ self-organization and associationism in Venice (Italy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-122
Author(s):  
Claudia Mantovan
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
Personal Variables ◽  
The Social

In Italy, most of the studies on immigrants’ associationism and participation have concentrated on the more formal andstructured aspects. Little research has been done on forms of immigrant self-organization not oriented towards the society in the country of adoption. Drawing on these considerations, this article analyzes the self-organization of Bangladeshi residents in the municipality of Venice considering both their infra-political and their politico-organizational mobilization, seeking relationships between these two spheres of action, identifying transnational bonds, and dynamics linked to the social and political context of their home country. At the same time, the study considers the influence of other factors, such as the social, political and economic context found in the country of immigration (at both national and local level), and also the personal variables that can influence people’s participation, such as gender, generation, social class, amount of time spent in the adopted country, legal status, formal education, human capital, attitudes and personal projects in general.

scholarly journals Resources and adaptation following involuntary resettlement in the Bytom-Karb community

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Igor Pietkiewicz ◽  
Małgorzata Wójcik ◽  
Katarzyna Popiołek ◽  
Augustyn Bańka
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mine Collapse ◽  
Involuntary Displacement

Abstract Studies show that involuntary displacement often creates various threats for the community and individuals. To reduce these risks, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, and Social Assessment are recommended. Whereas assessments focus mostly on the community level and studies describe cases of large population displacements, there is a lack of empirical evidence about how individuals cope with involuntary displacement and what factors contribute or hinder their successful adaptation in the target location. This study uses semi-structured interviews with 21 people about their experience of resettlement due to a mine collapse in Bytom, Poland, that led to involuntary displacement of 560 people. Data was analyzed according to the constructivist grounded theory principles. Results show that this case illustrates a mixture of post-disaster and development-induced displacement. Various factors and resources that affected coping strategies were analyzed, including: material and legal status, health and age, communication skills, and relocation experience. Our findings suggest that, when circumstances allow, an individual resources assessment should also be conducted to counteract impoverishment and further marginalization of the disprivileged and vulnerable individuals.

scholarly journals Migración forzada y procesos de violencia: Los migrantes centroamericanos en su paso por México

2019 ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Guillermo Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Human Mobility ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Central American ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Central Americans ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
One Year ◽  
In Transit

Migration of Central Americans in transit through Mexico has decades of history, however, a few years ago has taken a notorious visibility. In this article, based on the review of multiple sources and especially in reports of non-governmental organizations, it is argued that the cross-border and irregular human mobility of Central Americans who passed through the shelters and houses of the Documentation Network of the Defending Organizations of Migrants (REDODEM) in 2015 can be analyzed from the category of forced migration. The use of this category allows: 1) Address the structural causes of migration; 2) investigate the transit processes of migrants in contexts of accentuated vulnerability; 3) account for the violence suffered by migrants and the lack of respect for their human rights (in Mexico). Through the review of various studies on the subject and especially reports on the situation of Central Americans in transit through Mexico of the Documentation Network of Migrant Defender Organizations (REDODEM), the forced migration of Central Americans for a specific period of time (2015) is reported, with an emphasis on three processes: 1) the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of Central American migrants; 2) the description of the type of crimes suffered by migrants and the spatial distribution of the places where this happens; 3) and finally a list of social actors and institutions that violated the rights of migrants. The temporal delimitation has to do with two processes: the crisis of unaccompanied Central American migrant minors (2014) and with the implementation of the Southern Border Plan one year earlier (2014). One of the contributions of the work is to realize that the processes of violence were not generalized and that they were concentrated especially in certain specific places. In addition, it realizes that these processes of violence were differentiated depending on the social actor or institution that committed the crime.

scholarly journals An Analysis On The Impact Of The Syrian Refugees On Turkey’s Security With The Main Subjects Of Migration And Criminal Acts

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakan Inankul
Keyword(s):  
Legal Status ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Literature Survey ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Internal Security ◽  
Domestic Migration ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Basic Expression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Migration, with its basic expression, is the act of people to move from their locations to another location due to economic, social, political and cultural motives. It is possible to describe the act of more than two million Syrian migrants to leave their country and come to Turkey as a forced migration due to political motives in time of civil war. The needs of Syrian refugees such as shelter, health, education, feeding are met in line with the universal refugee rights. Many studies dealing with the impact of Syrian migrants on the economic, political, cultural and social lives of Turkey have been conducted. However, scientific studies on whether Syrian refugees have the potential to pose a threat to Turkey's security are quite limited. In a country which shelters more than two million migrants, it is highly important to understand the impact of these people on the country's security and to take measures against possible threats to the security (if any). The aim of the study is to reflect the impact of Syrian migrants on Turkey's security. For this reason, at first the phenomenon of migration was discussed in detail and the relationship between migration and crime (if any) was discussed. Then, the legal status of Syrian refugees and their impact on Turkey's security were discussed in detail. The study is limited to the impact of Syrian refugees on internal security and the matters of domestic migration and external security lie beyond the scope of this study. Literature survey was used as the method in the study. It is possible to point out the potential of the study to contribute in the literature and the field.

scholarly journals Determinants of Choice of Abortion Methods among Women in Ghana; Does Knowledge on legality of Abortion Matter?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Klu ◽  
Donatus Yaw Atiglo ◽  
Alfred Kwesi Manyeh ◽  
Mustapha Immurana ◽  
Maxwell Dalaba
Keyword(s):  
Rural Women ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Single Women ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Unsafe Abortion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Induce Abortion

Abstract Objective This study therefore examines the role knowledge on legal abortion and other factors play in the choice of abortion methods among women within a ten-year period. Design The study use data from the 2007 and 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Surveys. A total sample of 2,432 women aged 15-49 whose activities related to their most recent induced abortion were selected. This study, however, limits the analysis to a subpopulation of women who have terminated a pregnancy between 2002 to 2007 and 2012 to 2017. The made use of binary logistic regression analysis to show the relationship between choice of abortion methods and knowledge of legality of abortion. Setting Ghana Participants Women who had practice induce abortion Main outcome measure Choice of Abortion methods Results Likelihood of unsafe abortion practices was high among women who had knowledge on legality of abortion, women with no formal education, single women, rural women and women whose partners did not know about the pregnancy. Conclusion Increasing knowledge of legal status on abortion among women corresponded with an increased in the use of unsafe abortion methods over the decade has implication for poor reproductive health outcome and increased maternal mortality among women in Ghana.

Children and Slavery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilma King
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
American Revolution ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Colonial America ◽  
African Descent ◽  
Black Children ◽  
Free Blacks ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
White Girls

Boys and girls of European and African descent in Colonial America shared commonalities initially as unfree laborers, with promises of emancipation for all. However, as labor costs and demands changed, white servitude disappeared and slavery in perpetuity prevailed for the majority of blacks in the South following the American Revolution. Children were aware of differences in their legal status, social positions, life changing opportunities, and vulnerabilities within an environment where blackness signaled slavery or the absence of liberty, and whiteness garnered license or freedom. Slavery and freedom existed concomitantly, and relationships among children, even black ones, in North America were affected by time and place. Slave societies and societies with slaves determined the nature of interactions among enslaved and emancipated children. To be sure, few, if any, freed or free-born blacks did not have a relative or friend who was not or had never been enslaved, especially in states when gradual emancipation laws liberated family members born after a specific date and left older relatives in thralldom. As a result, free blacks were never completely aloof from their enslaved contemporaries. And, freedom was more meaningful if and when enjoyed by all. Just as interactions among enslaved and free black children varied, slaveholding children were sometimes benevolent and at other times brutal toward those they claimed as property. And, enslaved children did not always assume subservient positions under masters and mistresses in the making. Ultimately, fields of play rather than fields of labor fostered the most fair and enjoyable moments among slaveholding and enslaved children. Play days for enslaved girls and boys ended when they were mature enough to work outside their own abodes. As enslaved children entered the workplace, white boys of means, often within slaveholding families, engaged in formal studies, while white girls across classes received less formal education but honed skills associated with domestic arts. The paths of white and black children diverged as they reached adolescence, but there were instances when they shared facets of literacy, sometimes surreptitiously, and developed genuine friendships that mitigated the harshness of slavery. Even so, the majority of unfree children survived the furies of bondage by inculcating behavior that was acceptable for both a slave and a child.

Africa-India Connections in Historical Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 63-81
Author(s):  
N’Dri T. Assié-Lumumba
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
African Students ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Economic Exploitation ◽  
Education In India ◽  
Historical Fact ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
British Colonies

It is a well-established historical fact that Africa and India have cultivated continuous connections for thousands of years. Exchanges of commodities produced on each side of the Indian Ocean in specific political, administrative, and geographic spaces have constituted the guiding thread of these relations. In the modern and contemporary periods, these relations have been shaped through European colonial establishments and their legacies in both sides. Past policies of forced migration and resettlement for economic exploitation of the British colonies in Africa, especially East and Southern Africa, became determinants of the Africa-India relations. The anti-colonial and decolonization struggles in Asia in general and specifically in India and Africa throughout the 20th century created opportunities for a new Africa-India cooperation. In these new relations, formal education, especially higher education, have been playing a prominent role. The thrust of this paper is to analyze the important role of higher education in a South-South cooperation framework between India and Africa as a continent or individual countries. The fluctuating or declining patterns of the number of African students pursuing their education in India in the past decade or so are analyzed.

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