Situating the working lives of migrants and refugees: the case of Syrians in North East England
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Newcastle University Business School
Abstract
Francesca's research sits within the sociology of work with particular emphasis on understanding the working lives of migrants and refugees. She is interested in the role that all forms of work play in facilitating and/or impeding individual processes of belonging and integration. Passionate about cross-cultural communication, Francesca learnt Arabic intensively during her PhD, which was an integral part of her research design facilitating her approach to data collection with Syrian participants.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| TRACY SCURRY (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Francesca Speed (Student) |
| Description | This thesis develops a 'situating working lives' framework for understanding the multiplicity of migrant and refugee realities and the contextual factors shaping working lives. This framework incorporates a processual and translocational understanding of belonging to comprehend better the contextual and temporal effects shaping refugees' and migrants' social locations in the UK. This processual perspective illuminates that individual belonging, identifications and goals are not static, and engagement is not a linear one-dimensional stable concept. This study develops the notion of meaningful work to provide a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the role of work and working for this group - moving beyond financial necessity and professional belonging, to include how meaning, attributed to diverse types of work and working in migrants' and refugees' working lives, is constructed in relation to other people, places, at various levels and for varied aims. Meaningful work plays a beneficial role in supporting individuals to rebuild their lives and construct positive narratives about themselves, providing benefit to wider society. This study has shown how learning the principal language of participants, in this case Arabic, and undertaking an extended stay in the community helped to develop trust and access a hard-to-reach group. This tailored research strategy helped to access a wider sample. This study has shown that despite Syrian participants sharing similar reasons for fleeing and efforts to work and integrate, variations in inclusion, access to networks and resources and engagement do result from the different treatment received as a result of entry route into the country. This study provides an initial exploration of the effects of entry route on belonging, inclusion and working lives. |
| Exploitation Route | For policy makers, this thesis illustrates the importance of broadening their understanding of migrants' and refugees' working lives and the role that work plays in shaping processes of inclusion and integration. By valuing alternative forms of working, policy makers can value contributions that different groups can make and recognise that integration is beyond paid employment. Incorporating a focus on meaningful work into integration policy and services supporting the working lives of migrants and refugees would promote an understanding that work can provide more beneficial outcomes than participation in the labour market only as it would help to (re)build a sense of self and foster belonging and social inclusion. For resettlement and integration support, this thesis illustrates the importance of understanding the multiplicity of migrants' and refugees' aims, positions and identifications. Rather than presuming a common and shared position, with assumptions about goals which leads to individual differences being overlooked, recognising the complexities of migrant and refugee positionalities, and the impact of these on processes of personal network development and engagement offers an avenue for developing support mechanisms which are more inclusive of different possibilities. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Description | The research report ('understanding the needs of university students and staff from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds') has been widely circulated in the asylum sector as well as amongst higher education institutions working with students from sanctuary backgrounds as a resource helping to inform policy and practice to better support sanctuary seekers access and progress at university. This report was produced working closely with national charity City of Sanctuary who have a dedicated stream focusing on universities (Universities of Sanctuary). The report is available on their website: https://universities.cityofsanctuary.org/2021/01/14/research-project-supporting-sanctuary-students-and-staff |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Social Justice Forum event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Around 30 individuals from charitable organisations, local authorities and research organisations in the region working with and for refugees and asylum seekers came together to discuss issues of asylum and migration. A handful of individuals discuss their work at each event and group debate, information sharing and networking follows. The events run twice a year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |