Resilience and Survival: Refugee Women and Violence

What does the literature say about resilience in refugee people? Implications for practice

“…Moreover, the women's narratives suggest resilience is underpinned by a dynamic process which is fluid, contextual and constructed continually throughout ordinary, day-to-day processes involving challenges and opportunities. Pulvirenti and Mason's (2011) study with service providers working with refugee women experiencing violence, also confirm that resilience is a process rather than a fixed inner personal characteristic.…”

“…Similarly, a study with the 'Lost Boys of Sudan' identified that an acceptance of the situation and refocusing on the present and the future helped some of the boys to cope (Luster, Qin, Bates, Johnson & Rana, 2009). Pulvirenti and Mason's (2011) study revealed the construction of resilience with refugee women was linked to the idea of 'moving on' from adversity rather than the concept of 'bouncing back' from it.…”

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“…Furthermore, Lammers criticises this victim-identity as failing to 'do justice to reality nor to the strength that people display in the dire circumstances of exile' (Lammers 1999, 30). The depiction of women as innately vulnerable and agency-less rises in stark contrast to Gladden's study of the extraordinary coping strategies displayed by Sudanese refugee women (residing in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya (Gladden 2013)), and the documentation of resilient refugee women resettled in Australia (Pulvirenti & Mason 2011). Further, a recent collection of essays entitled Not Born a Refugee Woman, emphasises the incredible ability of many refugee women to survive in extremely dangerous and unstable situations (Hajdukowski-Ahmed 2008).…”

A widow, a victim, a mother

“…people are judged to be either 'resilient' or 'not resilient' . This dichotomy is questionable on a variety of levels (Lenette, Brough, & Cox, 2013;Pulvirenti & Mason, 2011) and is similar to the approach where 'we' (researchers and development practitioners), view individuals as ' doing well' or 'not doing well' . The French philosopher Foucault reminds us that knowledge and truth is often de¢ned by those in power.Therefore, a healthy caution should be employed when examining the potential dominance of one perspective or de¢nition in any discourse on health, illness, adaptation and resilience.…”

“…However, far too many studies focus on these widows as victims and few on coping mechanisms. It has long been accepted in the ¢eld that people are more than victims or survivors (Pulvirenti & Mason, 2011). Therefore, the victimhood discourse is being challenged (Manchanda, 2001), along with the stereotype of women as passive victims (Chenoy, 2007).…”