IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joimai/v21y2020i2d10.1007_s12134-019-00672-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Through their Eyes: A Photovoice and Interview Exploration of Integration Experiences of Congolese Refugee Women in Indianapolis

Author

Listed:
  • Jyotika Saksena

    (University of Indianapolis)

  • Shannon L. McMorrow

    (Western Michigan University)

Abstract

The goal of this study was to engage with adult women refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to understand their perceptions and experiences with integration, resettlement, and health in Indianapolis. The focus of this paper is the findings related to integration. The study was conducted in partnership with a refugee resettlement agency who identified women from DRC as a population of interest since they are a relatively new refugee group to both the USA and Indiana. A community engaged approach was used to conduct a qualitative study utilizing both the Photovoice method and semi-structured interviews with 16 women. Triangulated analysis of interview transcripts, photos, and captions created from the Photovoice discussions revealed five major themes of language acquisition, lack of stable jobs, transportation, affordable housing, and social support. Our study concludes that emphasis on early self-sufficiency negatively affected this group of refugees’ language acquisition, which in turn adversely affected multiple other aspects of the integration process including access to well-paid jobs, affordable housing, and transportation. The authors argue that emphasis on social support, both within the Congolese refugee community and the local population, along with group learning can play a critical role in improving the integration experience of women refugees.

Suggested Citation

  • Jyotika Saksena & Shannon L. McMorrow, 2020. "Through their Eyes: A Photovoice and Interview Exploration of Integration Experiences of Congolese Refugee Women in Indianapolis," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 529-549, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:21:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s12134-019-00672-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-019-00672-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12134-019-00672-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12134-019-00672-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Castleden, Heather & Garvin, Theresa & First Nation, Huu-ay-aht, 2008. "Modifying Photovoice for community-based participatory Indigenous research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(6), pages 1393-1405, March.
    2. Wang, Caroline & Burris, Mary Ann & Ping, Xiang Yue, 1996. "Chinese village women as visual anthropologists: A participatory approach to reaching policymakers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 42(10), pages 1391-1400, May.
    3. Wallerstein, N. & Duran, B., 2010. "Community-based participatory research contributions to intervention research: The intersection of science and practice to improve health equity," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(S1), pages 40-46.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Monica Roman & Vlad I. Roșca & Smaranda Cimpoeru & Elena-Maria Prada & Ioana Manafi, 2023. "“A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words”: Youth Migration Narratives in a Photovoice," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Chelsey Kirkland & Na’Tasha Evans & Kamesha Spates & Cedric Mubikayi Kabasele, 2022. "Perceptions of Resettled Refugee Congolese Women: Maintaining Cultural Traditions during Resettlement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-12, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Switzer, S. & Guta, A. & de Prinse, K. & Chan Carusone, S. & Strike, C., 2015. "Visualizing harm reduction: Methodological and ethical considerations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 77-84.
    2. Lewis, Diana & Francis, Sheila & Francis-Strickland, Kim & Castleden, Heather & Apostle, Richard, 2021. "If only they had accessed the data: Governmental failure to monitor pulp mill impacts on human health in Pictou Landing First Nation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    3. Lyndsay M. C. Hayhurst & Lidieth del Socorro Cruz Centeno, 2019. "“We Are Prisoners in Our Own Homes”: Connecting the Environment, Gender-Based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights to Sport for Development and Peace in Nicaragua," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-29, August.
    4. Lotte Prevo & Stef Kremers & Maria Jansen, 2020. "Small Successes Make Big Wins: A Retrospective Case Study towards Community Engagement of Low-SES Families," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-13, January.
    5. Flor Rivera Lopez & Fern Wickson & Vera Helene Hausner, 2018. "Finding CreativeVoice: Applying Arts-Based Research in the Context of Biodiversity Conservation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-18, May.
    6. Held, Suzanne & Hallett, John & Schure, Mark & Knows His Gun McCormick, Alma & Allen, Sarah & Milne-Price, Shauna & Trottier, Coleen & Bull Shows, Brianna & Other Medicine, Lucille & Inouye, Jillian, 2019. "Improving chronic illness self-management with the Apsáalooke Nation: Development of the Báa nnilah program," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    7. Mayer, Yael & Ilan, Rotem & Slone, Michelle & Lurie, Ido, 2020. "Relations between traumatic life events and mental health of Eritrean asylum-seeking mothers and their children's mental health," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    8. Zietz, Susannah & de Hoop, Jacobus & Handa, Sudhanshu, 2018. "The role of productive activities in the lives of adolescents: Photovoice evidence from Malawi," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 246-255.
    9. Katrina G. Claw & Casey R. Dorr & Erica L. Woodahl, 2024. "Implementing community-engaged pharmacogenomics in Indigenous communities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-5, December.
    10. Dana H. Z. Williamson & Sheryl Good & Daphne Wilson & Na’Taki Osborne Jelks & Dayna A. Johnson & Kelli A. Komro & Michelle C. Kegler, 2023. "Using the Collaborative Problem-Solving Model: Findings from an Evaluation of U.S. EPA’s Environmental Justice Academy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-24, October.
    11. Kelli Chelberg & Lisa Bosman, 2019. "The Role of Faculty Mentoring in Improving Retention and Completion Rates for Historically Underrepresented STEM Students," International Journal of Higher Education, Sciedu Press, vol. 8(2), pages 1-39, April.
    12. Meena Daivadanam & Maia Ingram & Kristi Sidney Annerstedt & Gary Parker & Kirsty Bobrow & Lisa Dolovich & Gillian Gould & Michaela Riddell & Rajesh Vedanthan & Jacqui Webster & Pilvikki Absetz & Helle, 2019. "The role of context in implementation research for non-communicable diseases: Answering the ‘how-to’ dilemma," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-22, April.
    13. Ullrich-French, Sarah & Cole, Amy N. & Montgomery, Anna K., 2016. "Evaluation development for a physical activity positive youth development program for girls," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 67-76.
    14. Luisa Fernanda Tribiño & Leonardo Garavito, 2018. "Debates contemporáneos sobre turismo, tomo IV. Ética y buen vivir. Rflexiones actuales para la planificación y gestión del turismo," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Administración de Empresas Turísticas y Hoteleras, number 29, April.
    15. Ebitu, Larmbert & Avery, Helen & Mourad, Khaldoon A. & Enyetu, Joshua, 2021. "Citizen science for sustainable agriculture – A systematic literature review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    16. Jessica L. Mackelprang & Janessa M. Graves & Halle M. Schulz, 2024. "Using Photovoice to Explore Determinants of Health among Homeless and Unstably Housed Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(2), pages 1-13, February.
    17. Sherren, Kate & Fischer, Joern & Fazey, Ioan, 2012. "Managing the grazing landscape: Insights for agricultural adaptation from a mid-drought photo-elicitation study in the Australian sheep-wheat belt," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 106(1), pages 72-83.
    18. Heather Lochotzki & Karen Patricia Williams & Cynthia G. Colen & Olorunfemi Adetona & Charleta B. Tavares & Georgina M. Ginn & Rejeana Haynes & Wansoo Im & Tanya Bils & Darryl B. Hood, 2022. "A Framework for Interfacing and Partnering with Environmental Justice Communities as a Prelude to Human Health and Hazard Identification in the Vulnerable Census Tracts of Columbus, Ohio," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-18, October.
    19. Tabia Henry Akintobi & Payam Sheikhattari & Emma Shaffer & Christina L. Evans & Kathryn L. Braun & Angela U. Sy & Bibiana Mancera & Adriana Campa & Stephania T. Miller & Daniel Sarpong & Rhonda Hollid, 2021. "Community Engagement Practices at Research Centers in U.S. Minority Institutions: Priority Populations and Innovative Approaches to Advancing Health Disparities Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-14, June.
    20. Kraemer Diaz, Anne E. & Spears Johnson, Chaya R. & Arcury, Thomas A., 2013. "Variation in the interpretation of scientific integrity in community-based participatory health research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 134-142.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:21:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s12134-019-00672-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.