Crossing borders, immigration politics, and disrupting violence: A photovoice study examining U.S. secondary education for refugees and asylum-seekers

• In Event: Speaking Back: Voice, Agency, and Participation Amidst Conflict

Proposal

Introduction and Purpose of Study
War, conflict, and various emergencies/crises continue to have a powerful effect on boys and girls, with massive disruptions to their lives and destruction to education systems. Displacement, loss, violence, and exclusion are among the significant challenges that young people experience during and after crises (Haines, 2014). In thinking about whether education can disrupt fragility and promote peace, research confirms that education can cause both good and harm to individuals who are displaced (Davies, 2011). As such, understanding children's pre-resettlement histories and post-displacement experiences is crucial in ensuring that we build systems of education that foster peace and not contribute to violence, especially after displacement (Dryden-Peterson, 2015). 

The purpose of this photovoice study is to explore how refugee and asylum-seeking students navigate integration in American schools and broader society, with a focus on a school district in North Dakota. Together with participants, we sought to collaboratively identify a support framework for refugee and asylum-seeking students in their (re)settled secondary schools and communities to ensure we develop education systems that build peace and not perpetuate violence.

Theoretical Framework
This study draws on coloniality (Mignolo, 2007; Quijano, 2000) and liminal space (Anzaldúa, 1987) to re-examine refugee and asylum seekers' education within a world marked by division and displacement. In our analysis, coloniality (Mignolo, 2007; Quijano, 2000) reveals how societies and educational systems often reproduce hierarchies and epistemic erasures that normalize structural violence against refugees and asylum seekers. In contrast, the concept of liminality (Anzaldúa, 1987) foregrounds the in-betweenness refugees and asylum seekers experience as they navigate uncertain identities, geographies, and futures. Together, these perspectives position refugee and asylum seekers' education as a critical site for reimagining belonging and building peace.

Methods
Methodologically, we utilized photovoice, a form of participatory action research that employs photographic techniques for data collection. Participants are entrusted with cameras to take photos on themes that represent their experience (Wang et al. 1996; Gubrium and Harper 2016). Participants had to meet the following criteria to participate: a) refugee boys or girls born in a country located in Africa, Latin America, or Asia, b) currently enrolled in a Grand Forks high school, and c) must have lived in the area for no less than three months. Through snowballing and chain-referral methods (Bernard, 2006), we recruited 20 high school students. 
We began with photovoice workshops to introduce the methodology, research topic, and ethics of photography. Participants then captured a total of 65 images reflecting their lived experiences, followed by four focus group discussions using the SHOWED method (Wang, 1999) to co-analyze the visual data. To deepen insights, we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews on themes emerging from the discussions. We also organized a photovoice exhibition that brought together policymakers, educators, school officials, and community members to discuss collective support for refugee students. To analyze the textual and visual data after data collection, we used NVivo to conduct a thematic analysis—identifying codes, categories, and themes (Saldana, 2021). 

Findings
The co-researchers' visual and textual narratives underscore how political, social, and anti-immigration policies complicate their experiences as refugees and asylum-seekers. Sally, a refugee, explained, "There was a war in Congo," which forced them to seek refuge in Burundi before arriving in the U.S. This situated her in a liminal space (Anzaldúa, 1987), navigating multiple realities and uncertain futures. Additionally, Peter, an Afghan refugee, shared, "We couldn't study; Afghanistan got very bad," illustrating the oppressive power of wars on vulnerable populations. Navigating these multiple realities across time and space creates what Bhabha (1994) terms "Third Space," where cultures collide, generating new realities. This reflects (Anzaldúa, 1987) metiza consciousness, a hybrid epistemic reality formed from the struggles of the oppressed.

Besides wars, anti-immigration rhetoric created a hostile environment for the co-researchers. Karen shared her struggles migrating from Cameroon; she recounted having walked for five days to the border, tired and having lost her valuables. "I lost my phone, passport; I lost everything. Mexicans... stop the buses [and] take all [our] money." Her sentiments embody Anzaldúa's (1987) description of the U.S.-Mexican border as a point where the "Global South" grates against the "Global North" and bleeds—highlighting the struggles faced by immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. Many metaphorically bled as they endured the perils of the border. The victimization of asylum-seekers highlights persistent coloniality beyond formal colonization, operating through race, religion, and language (Quijano, 2000). 

Additionally, the political environment during the 2024 U.S. presidential election profoundly impacted the co-researchers psychologically. Sally highlighted, "I listened to the debate; he said he is going to send everyone to their home…We come [here] to achieve and help our families." At 17, she carries the burden of supporting her family while navigating the U.S. alone. Her account reflects the coloniality of power (Quijano, 2000; Mignolo, 2000), where refugees are framed as disposable outsiders in Western politics. Sally shared, "In California, they said the lawyer and doctor would be free… [but] they lied. Here, they [said] we have to pay, give us our green card, we will work for ourselves and help our family." Her experience illustrates the racialized and geopolitical hierarchies relegating the Global South as inferior- a process (Said, 1979) described as Orientalism. Together, these narratives illustrate how forced displacement and anti-immigration rhetoric situate immigrants in liminality, yet also position them to generate hybrid knowledges that resist coloniality. 

Scholarly Significance
This study offers critical insights into refugee and asylum-seeking students navigating the U.S. education system through a comparative lens. It challenges educators, policy makers, and government officials to rethink structural inequalities and recognize students as epistemic agents. The findings emphasize the need to implement policies that promote linguistic justice and trauma-informed care for refugee and asylum-seeking students navigating liminality to support their (re)integration.

Additionally, this participatory study engages with critical scholars who challenge Western-centric ways of knowing and resist deficit frameworks. By advancing decolonial methodologies and centering refugee voices, it re-imagines education as a site of peace, equity, and justice.

Authors

• Giovanni E Whyte, University of North Dakota

• Pempho Chinkondenji, University of North Dakota