Perceptions of Temporariness in the Process of Refugee Integration

• In Event: 2384 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 15. Refugees

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the impact of perceived temporariness on the experiences of integration of Syrian refugees in Canada, Turkey and the United States. I ask: What are the conditions under which the perception of temporariness takes shape? How does the perception of temporariness influence the possibilities of integration? What can we learn from the comparison of the perceptions of temporariness in different countries? Based on 93 in-depth interviews (71 with refugees and 22 with key informants) in three countries, I argue that refugees do not experience the permanent versus temporary legal status dichotomy as rigid and inflexible; rather, their experiences involve cultural and religious elements that complicate and problematize the conventional dichotomous understanding. Eventually, their perception of temporariness impacts their integration in distinct ways. This paper aims to contribute to discussions that try to understand the meaning and implications of temporariness beyond the classical dichotomy of temporary versus permanent. We do not often see how refugees themselves perceive this dichotomy from their own perspective, and I aim to fill this gap. I add to the debates that unsettle "the taken-for-granted links between status, belonging, and inclusion in a single nation state" (Latham et al. 2014:6).

Author

• Aysegul Balta Ozgen, State University of New York-Buffalo