Negotiating stigmatised identities: Enterprising refugee women in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article critically analyses the complexities of identity work among refugee women entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom. Once labelled as refugees, individuals are homogenised and disadvantaged by association with this stigmatised identity. We explore how women refugees undertake dynamic identity work to recreate themselves as entrepreneurs attempting to ameliorate such stigma. Using case study evidence, we find that claiming an entrepreneurial identity enables the refutation of the stigmatised refugee label and as such, it can be personally enhancing by improving well-being and socio-economic standing. The vestigial negative effects upon access to entrepreneurial resources arising from gendered constraints and a refugee background however, persist. Thus, these refugee entrepreneurs face a double-edged sword; while challenging stigmas through entrepreneurship is potentially liberating, having a refugee background acerbates the impact of enduring structural challenges upon women’s entrepreneurial activity. This has implications for venture potential and relatedly, to the sustainability of fragile entrepreneurial identities among a cohort of vulnerable women.

Refugee women's entrepreneurship: where from and where to next?

“…Given the importance of contextualizing entrepreneurship research (Baker and Welter, 2018) and also entrepreneurship policy and practice, it is pertinent for future research on refugee women entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurship to be contextualized too, and not to be approached with a “one size fits all” mindset that we have witnessed in the past. Research on refugee women entrepreneurs in one context located in the Global North (Adeeko and Treanor, 2021; Yeröz, 2019) or the Global South (Shepherd et al. , 2020; Al-Dajani et al.…”

“…Given the importance of contextualizing entrepreneurship research (Baker and Welter, 2018) and also entrepreneurship policy and practice, it is pertinent for future research on refugee women entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurship to be contextualized too, and not to be approached with a "one size fits all" mindset that we have witnessed in the past. Research on refugee women entrepreneurs in one context located in the Global North (Adeeko and Treanor, 2021;Yer€ oz, 2019) or the Global South (Shepherd et al, 2020;Al-Dajani et al, 2015), will not always be relevant to refugee women entrepreneurs located in other contexts, but can help to inform and shape future research work. This is offered as a note for future research in this arena, and to recognize the extant diversity amongst refugee women entrepreneurs, as well as to avoid homogenizing them into one mythical, homogenous group.…”

Building self-determination of disadvantaged groups: insights from an entrepreneurship focused program for refugees

“…They encounter something akin to "total institutions" (de la Chaux et al, 2018) in camps and detention centers which strip away personal freedoms. Psychological, social and market constraints follow them into host-country settings (Adeeko and Treanor, 2022;Dykstra-DeVette and Canary, 2019). Competence is undermined as credentials and credit histories become non-transferable, rendering their social and human capital mute (Bizri, 2017;Wauters and Lambrecht, 2008).…”

“…However, in the face of persistent adversity (Shepherd et al. , 2020) there may be limited opportunities to influence or alter positional realities, instead having to make do with small but meaningful acts of resistance (Adeeko and Treanor, 2022; Shepherd et al. , 2020; Al-Dajani et al.…”

“…This body of research implies that to become an "individual of interest" as an entrepreneur, one must not remain "docile" but must act, either to transform structural conditions (McMullen et al, 2021) or one's position within them (Rindova et al, 2009). However, in the face of persistent adversity (Shepherd et al, 2020) there may be limited opportunities to influence or alter positional realities, instead having to make do with small but meaningful acts of resistance (Adeeko and Treanor, 2022;Shepherd et al, 2020;Al-Dajani et al, 2019;Sabella and El-Far, 2019). While disadvantaged groups like refugees may report high levels of intention to start businesses (Kone et al, 2021;Mawson and Kasem, 2019) this may not translate into changes to their disadvantaged status.…”