Dialectic Tensions Experienced by Resettled Sudanese Refugees in Mediating Organizations

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar VI

Abstract

As global populations of refugees have grown, non-profit organizations have emerged to help mediate the resettlement experience. Six Sudanese refugees participated in semi-structured interviews which explored their experiences communicating with and in the organizations mediating their resettlement in the United States. Four dialectical tensions emerged: (a) dissemination and dialogue, (b) emancipation and control, (c) empowerment and oppression and (d) integration and separation. These tensions both replicate and extend existing organizational empowerment research.

Author

• Sarah Steimel, University of Nebraska, Lincoln