Navigating precarious terrains: Reconceptualising refugee youth settlement

Nunn, Caitlin; Gifford, Sandra M.; McMichael, Celia; Correa-Velez, Ignacio

Navigating precarious terrains: Reconceptualising refugee youth settlement

Nunn, Caitlin; Gifford, Sandra M.; McMichael, Celia; Correa-Velez, Ignacio

Authors

Caitlin Nunn

Sandra M. Gifford

Celia McMichael

Ignacio Correa-Velez

Abstract

Settlement is widely understood as the final stage of the refugee journey: a durable solution to forced displacement and a stable environment in which former refugees can rebuild their lives. However, settlement is shaped by rapidly changing socio-political forces producing contingent, unpredictable, and even hostile environments. This article draws upon Vigh’s concept of social navigation to reconceptualize settlement as a continuation of a fraught journey in which refugee settlers must continually seek new strategies to pursue viable futures. We illustrate with an in-depth case study of the settlement journey of one refugee-background young man over his first eight years in Melbourne, Australia.

Citation

Nunn, C., Gifford, S. M., McMichael, C., & Correa-Velez, I. (2017). Navigating precarious terrains: Reconceptualising refugee youth settlement. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 33(2), 45-55

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Aug 24, 2017
Publication Date	Nov 1, 2017
Deposit Date	Sep 6, 2017
Publicly Available Date	Sep 6, 2017
Journal	Refuge : Canada's national newsletter on refugees.
Print ISSN	0220-5113
Publisher	York University Libraries
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	33
Issue	2
Pages	45-55
Publisher URL	https://refuge.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/refuge/article/view/40462