Youth transitions in protracted crises: conceptualising the ‘rupture’ of refugees' pathways to adulthood in Uganda and Jordan

Abstract

The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Progression of Employment and Livelihoods Policies and Regulations for the Protracted Displacement of Refugees in Host Countries: Syrian Refugees in Jordan as a Case Study

“…This money might be used towards the purchase of necessities such as food and a place to stay, among other things. As a direct consequence of the execution of cash assistance operations in a number of countries, including Jordan, the financial situation of Syrian refugees has greatly improved (Van Blerk et al, 2022). As a response to the situation caused by the exodus of Syrians, some efforts have been implemented.…”

Livelihood Trajectories of Rural Young People in Southern Africa: Stuck in Loops?

“…However, such school‐to‐work transitions are not easily accomplished in practice in contexts of severe poverty and structural marginalization (Locke and te Lintelo, 2012; Morrow, 2013). This unidimensional approach does not prepare rural young people for the agricultural livelihoods and informal sector work that are, for many, their most likely destination (Ansell et al., 2020; van Blerk et al., 2022). When they fail to achieve a school certificate, young people tend to be cast as failures who are responsible for their own situations, which conveniently depoliticizes their problems (Ansell et al., 2020).…”

“…Critiquing a rigid view of people going through different life stages, the concept of ‘vital conjunctures’ (Johnson‐Hanks, 2002) focuses on moments in which structural circumstances crystallize such that futures open up and key life events may be delayed or unattained (or accelerated). In some particularly challenging situations such as protracted crises, livelihood trajectories and youth transitions are ruptured, resulting in entirely new directions (van Blerk et al., 2022).…”

“…While writings on waithood (Jeffrey, 2010; Mains, 2011) describe young people who are frustrated with not being able to get the jobs that they expected to obtain after struggling to complete their education, it remains a comparatively privileged position — the choice to wait rather than resort to other livelihoods out of desperation. Notions of ruptured transitions (van Blerk et al., 2022) come closer to conceptualizing these struggles, but most of those cases involve sudden shocks, such as displacement or parental death, rather than just normal rural life in a context of structural poverty. While Johnson‐Hanks's (2002) notion of vital conjunctures relates young people's trajectories to structural circumstances and points out how fluid and unstable moments such as marriage can be, it does not encompass the repetitiveness of the looping trajectories that we discuss.…”

A Qualitative Study of Adolescents from Refugee Backgrounds Living in Australia: Identity and Resettlement

“…For young people who are refugees in particular, these repeated adversities are likely to profoundly disrupt their self-structure. Consequently, it is assumed that the process of identity construction will frequently enter their conscious awareness [ 4 , 25 ]. Refugees who successfully integrate their experiences and context tend to cultivate a more cohesive self-concept.…”