Critical and Cultural Studies Commons^™

Investigating Layers Of Identity And Identity Gaps In Refugee Resettlement Experiences In The Midwestern United States, Gretchen Bergquist, Jordan Soliz, Kristen Everhart, Lee Kreimer, Dawn O. Braithwaite

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Post-migration, refugees experience changes within personal and community relationships that have dramatic effects on their sense of self and, in turn, well-being.

§ During resettlement, refugees are forced to reconceptualize identity as they encounter and integrate into a new host country and culture.

§ Tensions emerge when integrating one’s self-concept into a web of new personal and social networks while simultaneously managing and adapting to larger social norms and public attitudes in the host country.

§ The epicenter of tensions and experiences that create turbulence in the lives of refugees is the negotiation and reconceptualization of identity within relationships and …