Narratives of Persistence: A Postcolonial Exploration of Black African Refugee Postsecondary Students' Cultural Heritage Use

• In Event: Negotiating Belonging Across Borders: Education, Migration, and Identity Formation

Proposal

Introduction
This empirical study focuses on Black African refugee students, exploring their experiences with cultural heritage and how it supports their academic persistence in postsecondary education after migrating to the U.S. Research suggests that Black communities outside the U.S. often rely on tangible and intangible aspects of their culture for solace during resettlement (Godfrey, 2016). These aspects include customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions, and values, all of which contribute to a rich cultural heritage (Alfadhli & Drury, 2018; Unangst & Crea, 2020; Yi & Kiyama, 2018).


Guiding Framework
Postcolonial frameworks in education argue for reconceptualizing ideas of difference and recognizing that identities are heterogeneous rather than monolithic or static (Lavia, 2006; 2007; Rizvi, 2007). Identities are shaped by cultural influences and can change as people move between different spaces; these movements also create opportunities to (re)claim epistemological standpoints by students (Subedi & Daza, 2008, p. 6). Illustrative of this, Wright (2003) wrote, “I live and work in the USA but am not an American citizen; I am ‘black’ but not African-American; I am simultaneously a continental and a diasporic African” (p. 811). In this study, we approach student identity and cultural heritage use as fluid, critically examining how cultural, historical, and social forces shape identities. We will encourage students to explore their complex identities and consider the impact of migration, refugee status, resettlement, and institutions on their use of cultural heritage.


Data Collection and Analysis
The study takes place in two refugee resettlement communities in the United States with a historical African presence: the Atlanta, Georgia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania metropolitan areas. Participants are 30 current, first-generation Black African refugee students from Sub-Saharan Africa, including 1.5-generation refugees who came to the U.S. as children. Recognizing the vulnerability of this population, we initiated the ethics review process well before data collection. To identify participants, we are collaborating with community liaisons at nonprofit organizations serving refugees in these areas, including the International Rescue Committee of Atlanta (Georgia) and the African Cultural Alliance of North America (Pennsylvania). These community liaisons continue to be involved in participant recruitment.


Phase 1: Relational Dialogues (Year 1)
This phase explores student experiences through storytelling related to their use of cultural heritage. We engage in relational dialogues, a postcolonial interview method invoking participants’ relational ways of knowing and connecting to culture, others, and history (Chilisa, 2019). These dialogues occur in two phases: narration and conversation (Kim, 2016). During the narration phase, participants share the role of cultural heritage in their lives, with researchers acting as listeners. The conversation phase follows, where we (as researchers) co-construct meaning with participants by asking questions about what the stories revealed and connecting them to educational experiences. These dialogues last 1-2 hours, depending on the participant. Additionally, we employ thought ritual, a relationally responsive analysis focused on “descriptors of connection, diversity, interaction, and adaptation, sitting within a framework of pattern thinking” (Yunkaporta & Moodie, 2021, p. 89). This approach is a hybridization of thematic analysis and mapping the data in a culturally relevant story (Yunkaporta & Moodie, 2021). Analysis involves sharing interview data with the students for their feedback, which informs the talking circle protocol for Phase 2. An example interview question used in this phase is: How do you incorporate aspects of your culture into your daily life—like food, fashion, music, or language? For example, do you tell your siblings cultural parables/stories? Or work on handicrafts?


Phase 2: Talking Circles
This phase emphasizes understanding how participants engage with cultural heritage to support persistence. We conduct talking circles, a non-hierarchical focus group familiar to African participants (Chilisa, 2019), with a minimum of three circles of five participants each at each research site (N=30 across both study sites). Talking circles involve an object passed among participants, allowing each to speak uninterrupted, emphasizing equality among members (Chilisa, 2019). Using a semi-structured protocol, we present the story patterns identified in Phase 1 and encourage participants to elaborate, connecting their cultural heritage use to persistence. We continue the thought ritual approach to analysis, resulting in the identification of relational forces within the corpus that portray how cultural heritage fosters persistence among students. An example focus group question used in this phase is: What people, stories, or traditions from your cultural heritage inspire you to keep going when college feels challenging?


Phase 3: Data Transformation
Phase 3 involves integrating data from Phases 1 and 2 to identify broader patterns in cultural heritage use and persistence. We use a postcolonial lens to examine the data, avoiding a preexisting structure and focusing on how participants interpret their experiences. Findings are represented through storied maps and visualizations prepared for dissemination.


Findings
While data collection is ongoing, we share three emergent findings in this proposal. Firstly, Black African refugees tend to foreground linguistic ability and knowledge as a major source of cultural heritage. Second, cultural heritage and identity is often forged and sustained through digital spaces, such as listening to music from one’s heritage country or sharing photos of cultural celebrations (such as weddings) via WhatsApp with friends and loved ones. Thirdly, cultural heritage tends to be noticed and leveraged by students in postsecondary settings when they are interacting with other students of migrant and refugee backgrounds.


Contribution of Study
This study makes a major contribution to comparative and international education literature by highlighting the inherent value and cultural knowledge of a marginalized migrant group. In 2023, 43% of individuals seeking asylum in the United States were from Africa (Ward & Batalova, 2023). As the number of African refugees has increased, nationalist ideologies targeting foreign-born Black individuals have become prominent (Serwer, 2020). Stories of African refugees highlight the gap between the U.S.’s image as a haven for asylum seekers and the reality of life under racist and xenophobic policies (Greene, 2018). Ultimately, by investigating the experiences of Black African refugee students within postsecondary education, we add to efforts that shape affirming cultural integration and inclusive public opinion.

Funding Disclosure: This project is funded by the Spencer Foundation, Grant ID # [redacted for peer review].

Authors

• Meseret F. Hailu, University of Georgia - Athens, GA

• Ane Turner Johnson, Rowan University