Creative Movement Narratives: Collective Sharing Within a Physical Activity Environment Among Convention Refugees

• In Event: 18.063 - Action, Activist, and Narrative-Oriented Research in Physical Education

Abstract

Background: Convention refugees are individuals who have fled their home countries due to a substantiated fear of persecution. Many young Convention refugees are disconnected from their environment as they enter schools and communities, and are often misunderstood due to cultural barriers. Given the universality of human movement, the physical education (PE) setting can be an important avenue through which to foster acculturation. Many PE classrooms, however, lack the culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) necessary to encourage connectedness. Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to capture the nuances and experiences of 17 Convention refugees through the exploration of creative movement. Methods: Significant moments, at the point of data saturation, were validated through observations, ethnographic interviews, artifacts and participant observations. Results: The process of data analysis produced four themes: (a) embodied space (b) proxemics, (c) collective sharing (d) rhythm. Through triangulation, the appearances of creative movements were captured in tandem with rhythm recording individual expressions within a collective space (Paulson, 2011). Through cultural narratives, the drum became the center piece; allowing rhythm to travel spatially and temporally through the drummer and the dancer simultaneously. Conclusions: The exploration of cultural and situational frames through drumming and movement can attempt to build an emotional bridge to support acculturation. Creative movement is a culturally relevant way to engage individuals in dialogue by asking them to tell us what they know to be moments of truth (Oliver, 1998). This collective sharing lends itself to PA/PE environments where there are opportunities to foster creativity, encourage intersectional identity, and support Convention refugee acculturation.

Authors

• Karamjeet Dhillon, Wayne State University

• Erin Elizabeth Centeio, Wayne State University

• Suzanna Rocco Dillon, Wayne State University

• Nathan A. Mccaughtry, Wayne State University