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Due to systemic violence and human rights violations in Myanmar, many ethnic minorities, including Karen, have fled the country. Many Karen refugees from camps in Thailand and Malaysia were resettled in the United States. Despite having access to multiple resources and opportunities, the Karen face challenges related to health, housing, education, employment, and culture. This paper aims to broaden our understanding of the needs and challenges of Karen refugees living in Hartford, Connecticut, through a qualitative, narrative-based research study. Lessons learned will help nongovernmental organizations, mental health professionals, and social workers to develop and implement programs and policies for refugee resettlement and integration in a culturally competent manner that is based on the values, strengths, and resilience of the refugee Karen community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this social semiotic analysis, we examined visuals of Rohingya refugees in two U.S. newspapers: The New York Times and The Washington Post. We identified prominent tropes and themes exemplifying those tropes. Visuals connoted refugee vulnerability and subscribed to gender stereotypes. Media also leaned on familiar themes to translate "distant suffering." Our study has addressed the urgent need to bridge academic/critical work on journalism and journalistic practice in the field. Our hope is that media practitioners will take steps to delink refugees from negative connotations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Burmese Refugee Exodus of 1942 was one of the worst forced migrations in South Asia. The capture of Burma by the Japanese during the Second World War forced the British to retreat and the occupants to flee as refugees to India. Despite its magnitude and impact, it remains largely understudied by both historians and scholars. The few records that exist are largely Eurocentric and reduce the Indian refugees to a nameless, faceless mass of travellers. Not only were the refugees victims of official apathy and neglect, they were also victims of historical amnesia. This essay makes a case for the refugee archive in the backdrop of the Burmese Exodus of 1942. Hannah Arendt's concept of the refugee as human condition forms the theoretical framework of the essay. It draws on Arendt's concept of "spaces of appearances" to conceptualize the refugee archive as alternative spaces of appearances that allow the refugee to be visible and be heard and seen in public. It then reads the Burmese refugee memoir Ayya's Accounts: A Ledger of Modern Hope in India in the light of Arendt's concepts of "refugee as vanguard", "storytelling as political action" and "spaces of appearances" to illustrate how refugees through their narratives create a space of appearance for themselves, become agents of change and thus contribute to inclusive refugee policies. This essay argues for a comprehensive refugee archive that registers the refugee in history and has implications on inclusive policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the personal wellbeing of ethnic Chin Burmese refugees in the United States. Based on a cross-sectional study using a convenience and snowball sample, data on resilience, perceived social support, psychological distress, personal wellbeing, and demographic information were collected via self-administered questionnaires from 204 ethnic Chin Burmese refugees. Bivariate correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationships among the study variables. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess which of the study variables influence personal wellbeing. We also tested the moderating effects of resilience and perceived social support in the relationship between psychological distress and personal wellbeing. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 73 (mean age 35.76), of whom 52% were female, 75.5% were married, and 67.2% were employed, and have lived in the U.S. for a mean of 6.27 years. Across the whole sample, 24.5% reported experiencing symptoms of psychological distress. After adjusting for demographic variables, results of regression analyses revealed that resilience (β =.14, p <.05), and perceived social support (β =.14, p <.05) was significantly related to personal wellbeing; whereas psychological distress (β = −.28, p <.001) was inversely linked to wellbeing. Contrary to theories of resilience and social support, we did not find any moderating effect stemming from the relationship between psychological distress and personal wellbeing. The findings of this study extended existing literature on Burmese refugees in the U.S. by providing information about the factors associated with their personal wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social support plays an essential role in refugees' mental health and well-being. To assess how people appraise their sources of support, one needs to have an appropriate valid and reliable measure. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Chin-Burmese version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS-CB) among 242 resettled Burmese refugees. Participants completed the MSPSS-CB and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Exploratory factor analysis found a three-factor solution that supported the theoretical dimensions of the original MSPSS: friends (FR), family (FAM) and significant others (SO) subscales, accounting for 82.15 per cent of the total variance. The Cronbach's α was 0.96, 0.94 and 0.96 for the FR, FAM and SO, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis found moderate goodness of fit of the data. Investigation of the fit indices revealed that the three-factor solution was adequate (χ 2 = 73.65, df 51, p  < 0.05); Goodness-of-Fit Index = 0.952; Normed Fit Index = 0.977; Comparative Fit Index  = 0.993 and root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.043. There were negative correlations between the FR, FAM and SO subscales and the K10. The current study's findings indicate that the MSPSS-CB is a reliable and valid instrument for use with the Chin-Burmese population and can provide helping professionals with a useful tool to measure and identify the source of social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Educators must respond to changing societal demographics with revised curricula that facilitate student transcultural self‐efficacy to care for diverse client populations. Problem: A Midwest University was situated in a community wherein the Burmese Chin refugees were predominant arrivals, and the least known. Objectives: This project examined the change in mean scores for transcultural self‐efficacy for nursing cohorts following their engagement in educational strategies focused on the Burmese Chin culture. Methods: The project was a pre‐post design. The Transcultural Self‐Efficacy Tool (TSET) was used to measure students' self‐efficacy. Interventions: Nursing students completed a set of educational strategies intentionally staged over 5 weeks of a semester. Results: There was a significant increase in mean change from pre‐ to post for each of the three domains of the TSET, cognitive (1.3), practical (1.4), and affective (0.7) (p < 0.0001). There was a marginally significant mean change in the practical (p = 0.0573; p < 0.05) domain with the accelerated students in comparison with the traditional students. The group differences in mean change TSET scores remained marginally significant after adjusting for age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have investigated how family literacy practices can effectively support children's literacy development in school. However, few studies have explored the lived experiences of Burmese refugee families in the United States. Utilizing a social semiotics multimodal perspective, this qualitative study examines how two Burmese refugee children made meaning by blending different modes. The data sources include video recordings, artifacts, and interviews. The findings illustrate three major themes that span time and space: family past experiences across global contexts, representation of current life experiences in the United States, and family beliefs carried across global contexts and Gawa's dream for the future. The findings also show that the participants drew upon multimodal semiotic resources to create and share family storybooks. Implications include the importance of integrating multimodal perspectives into classroom learning and the possibilities of bridging home and school literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social role of food has sustained growing interest in recent times. These studies become even more meaningful to sociological discussions when the research participants have faced multiple levels of disadvantage based on immigration status, ethnicity, experience of trauma, language abilities, and geographic location. This research maps the social and cultural food journeys of people from Myanmar to the regional city of Coffs Harbour, Australia. This interdisciplinary study uses focused ethnography and participatory/collaborative research methods to document and analyse food experiences. The findings reveal a positive settlement story, one where differences and challenges have been overcome and a resilient community has utilised networks built to confidently mark out its place in a new home. The role of food in bringing together communities and individuals, has allowed these networks to be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines social orders of refugee camps, showing that they have a much higher complexity than is captured in theoretical conceptions that emphasize top-down notions of camp regime structures and power. The plurality of governing actors and power relations is highlighted by refugee camp studies, serving as a starting point for this article. Drawing on an ethnomethodologically informed ethnographic research approach, the example of aid delivery in a Burmese refugee camp in Thailand is used to show how camp residents establish powerful social micro structures. These are, for example, the locally achieved 'disciplinary institution' and 'public camp secrets'. The article argues that the association of these micro structures generates the social order of camps. Further, it demonstrates the fruitfulness of an ethnomethodological approach for refugee studies that goes beyond discourses surrounding the camp, governing techniques and narratives of refugees—instead focusing in on people's practices in concrete situations and events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the recent developments of Rohingya refugee crisis, especially in the aftermath of August 2017 violence which led to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people across the border to Bangladesh. It analyzes the three-stage-plan proposed by China and the repatriation agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh and argues that ethnic identity and citizenship issues are fundamental to the Rohingya conundrum. Without addressing these core issues, which thus far have been paid little or no serious consideration, there is a danger of recurrence of violence. While the Myanmar authorities are ready to address some of the immediate concerns, such as providing accommodation and food, evidences suggest that the government does not have the political will, at least at the moment, to address the core issues of ethnic identity and citizenship, as well as the related security concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to outline the forced migration and consequent flee and displacement of the Rohingya Muslims in Northwestern Arakan State of Myanmar after several violent clashes and insurgencies between the Rohingya Muslims, the Buddhists and government security forces. More than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar in August 2017 violence which has been described as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing" by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). Being only visible as "refugee problem" of this mass expatriation, the continuous forced migration and displacement of the Rohingya have been rendered invisible. In this context, this paper attempts a demographic assessment of Rohingya people through historical process of their exclusions and the magnitude of the forced migration to the neighboring countries as illegal, economic burden, stateless migrants. This paper analyses the historical origin of the underlying situation, identity politics, ethnic crisis, and statelessness for better understanding the demographic decline of the Rohingya in this geographic region. Finally, it highlights the international community's responses to this undergoing humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the longstanding Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. It argues that the crisis is rooted in the British colonial era that subsequently gained momentum through their (i) gradual marginalization as an ethnic minority, (ii) exclusion from the governmental institutions, and (iii) deprivation of citizenship, effectively rendering them stateless. Starting with a demographic profile of the Rohingya it explores the major elements of the crisis from the colonial period to the present day through a historiographical methodology. Based on these historical factors shaping and aggravating the crisis, the paper concludes with a mitigating recommendatory pursuit towards a durable resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent humanitarian Rohingya crisis has once again put Myanmar onto the centre stage of global media attention. The aim of this paper is to look into the ethnic minority question in contemporary Myanmar. The paper has a special focus on the Muslim Rohingya community. The paper argues that problematic race relations in Myanmar today should not be viewed in isolation but should be seen as a part of a historical continuum. The British colonial policies of divide and rule, political leaders and their obsession with Buddhism in the post-independence period and xenophobic tendencies during the long years of the military junta have all collectively contributed to the very complex situation in which the country finds itself today when it comes to race relations. Meaningful democracy and economic development have been advocated as the way forward especially for the more peripheral parts of the country where there is a strong ethnic minority presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugees frequently experience histories of trauma and stress of acculturation, which place them at a high risk for mental health and substance use problems. Although recently arrived foreign-born youths report lower rates of substance use than their American peers, substance use rates for children in refugee families often increase as acculturation occurs. We describe the adaptation of the Familias: Preparando a la Nueva Generación (Families: Preparing the New Generation; FPNG) parenting skills curriculum to prevent adolescent substance use among Burmese refugee families. The adapted curriculum introduces parents of newly acculturating adolescents to the problem of substance use and teaches them how to effectively communicate with their children to target specific adolescent risk factors. We conducted a pilot study of 10 FPNG sessions with 14 Burmese mothers at an urban community center. Pretest and posttest data and fidelity measures were collected to assess the effects of the adapted curriculum and the pilot study. We describe these measures and present a 3-phase cultural adaptation process model that details the study's background and plans for future intervention adaptations. We also discuss challenges in adaptation and implementation of the FPNG intervention with Burmese refugee communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how Burmese refugees were framed by Fort Wayne’s The Journal Gazette located in one of Indiana’s cities where refugee resettlement has taken place over the last two decades. We analyzed 335 stories and 286 accompanying images to identify salient textual and visual frames. Results show that the human interest and attribution of responsibility were most salient textual frames, while the visual frame of exotic was dominant. Feature stories were more likely to have a human interest frame and, if an image is included, to reflect the visual frame of Burmese as being exotic. As a global refugee crisis continues to unfold, this study presents implications for how media coverage of future refugees in the United States will evolve based on public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the case of Burmese refugees in South Korea, this study reveals how the convergence of democratization in the homeland and the attainment of legal refugee status prompted former political exiles to establish socially responsible businesses for furthering their activism. By shining new light on the emergence of such social entrepreneurship amongst former political exiles, this study seeks to overcome two tendencies in refugee studies, namely to relegate the establishment of a business to a livelihood pursuit, dealing with business largely from an economic standpoint; and to approach activism only from the perspective of direct political engagement. This study integrates these two separate threads and brings the discussion of social entrepreneurship into refugee studies, demonstrating that some businesses established by refugees should be understood as a form of activism. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the transnational aspects of social entrepreneurship has accelerated inter-Asian connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 35 years, the US has been the top recipient country for refugee resettlement. Despite political ambivalence about refugee admittance and their integration into America's sociocultural fabric, little is known in refugee literature about how receiving countries' refugee and asylum policies structure refugee migratory processes and flows from countries of origin. Based on 21 indepth interviews and group discussions with Chin-Burmese families, this paper traces migratory strategies and routes from Northern Burma to the US by examining the role of class, family dynamics, cross-border connections and social capital in migratory decision-making for irregular border-crossings and endurance as transit migrants. Additionally, I analyse the critical functions of intermediary social actors and institutions, particularly faith and community-based organisations, for gaining entry to destination countries. I show that examining Chin refugees' agency and premigratory motives demonstrates the heterogeneity of the refugee population, justifying Chimamanda Adichie's claim that 'nobody is just a refugee'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a series of three articles, O'Neal and colleagues describe the application of Participatory Culture-Specific Consultation (PCSC) with mixed methods research to explore the needs of a hidden population of teachers serving Burmese refugee students in unauthorized schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and develop and evaluate a culturally relevant and sustainable professional development program to prepare teachers in classroom management and self-care. Their work exemplifies the benefits of partnership, cultural humility, and reflective integration of research and practice in systems consultation. The scope and depth of their work presented across three articles provides a rich source for consultants who want to engage in similar work both at home and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of global consultation has received little attention despite its potential for promoting international mutual understanding with marginalized communities. This article details theory, entry, implementation, and evaluation processes for global consultation research, including lessons learned from our refugee teacher intervention. The first half of the article addresses the entry process, culture-specific strengths, and challenges that can be faced in global consultation, including our experience with a lack of formal regulatory oversight of refugee education. The second half of the article details feedback collected from consultants, peer trainers, and peer trainees indicating which training content was most valuable; how some Burmese refugee teachers strive for a more studentcentered, "free" classroom for their refugee students; and, finally, the toll that intense refugee teacher consultation took on the consultants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to Malaysian government schools is prohibited for refugee children, and hidden refugee schools only reach a minority of Burmese students in Malaysia. This study used a participatory culture-specific consultation (PCSC) approach to examine the perspectives of Burmese refugee teachers on Burmese refugee student socioemotional issues and classroom management using interviews, observations, a preliminary refugee teacher focus group (N = 10:4men, 6 women; M age = 26 years), and a primary focus group with refugee teachers who were Burmese refugees (N = 9: 6 men, 3 women; M age = 30 years). First, themes suggested that societal pressures have an effect on the classroom environment. Second, refugee student behavior and emotions ranged from externalizing to internalizing. Third, refugee teachers relied on traditional Burmese methods for managing serious misbehavior. Fourth, with mild misbehaviors, teachers employed more "modern," student-centered methods. Results inform culture-specific consultation designed to meet refugee education needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the arrival of refugees from Burma, also known as Myanmar, to the Midwest of the United States and how the depiction of the refugees in online media often deploys contradictory messages about these new communities. Specifically, this analysis investigates the images and texts created by both U.S.-led refugee resettlement agencies and Burmese-led nonprofit organizations in Indiana. The project weaves together findings from the analysis of online media content along with interviews of twelve organisation leaders and staff members. The analysis reveals that the media created by the two types of organizations differ substantially. While the U.S.-led refugee resettlement agencies portray the refugees as “strangers” deserving of “the life ahead” and as worthwhile citizenship projects, the Burmese-led nonprofit organizations focus on the education of youth as future leaders and on its own members who serve as role models for the ethnic communities. This project underscores the broader implications for how refugees are portrayed in the West’s media during a period of massive exodus of refugees from nations with repressive governments and the need for more research about this topic that transcends national borders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Refugees from Burma have comprised the largest group of refugees resettling in the United States over the past decade, with nearly 90,000 people, and 19 percent of the total refugee population. However, very little literature exists that describes the cultural context and displacement experiences of this population. This article addresses that gap in the literature by examining historical, social, political, and cultural dimensions relevant to social work practice with Burmese refugees. Practice with Burmese refugees should be informed by knowledge of refugee policy, refugee resettlement, and social services delivery systems; the Burmese historical and political context; the community's specific strengths, needs, and cultural diversity; and human rights and social justice issues. Strong community partnerships between social workers and indigenous community leaders, between resettlement agencies and ethnic community-based organizations, and between different Burmese refugee groups are important to meeting short- and long-term social services needs and fostering successful adaptation and community integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents findings from a qualitative study that examined how five Burmese refugee students adjusted and navigated two public high schools in a Midwestern urban city in the U.S. The purpose of the study was to capture their unique histories and migration stories from which they drew strength as they resettled in the U.S. The present study focused specifically on the barriers faced by them in achieving high school graduation and impediments to higher education. Important findings included lack of navigational capital, linguicism and the intense shame of being a multilingual learner, birth order, and poor health. Other factors that negatively impacted their educational journeys included feelings of isolation and segregation from mainstream students, as well as lack of information about available resources. Theoretical frameworks of Postcolonial Theory and Critical Race Theory were used to guide the analysis of data and presentation of case studies. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and home visits to facilitate a greater understanding of their education journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Higher levels of peer and family social support were associated with resilience in Burmese adolescent refugees. • Ethnic identity searching or belonging were not associated with resilience. • Ethnic identity searching moderated the relationship between peer social support and resilience, where adolescent refugees reported higher resilience at higher levels of ethnic identity and social support. Adolescent refugees are at risk of developing mental health difficulties due to exposure to trauma and stressors during the process of forced migration. However, many remain resilient in the face of adversity due to various protective factors. Previous research has suggested that family, peer social support, and stronger ethnic identity may serve as protective factors that improve resilience processes in refugee youth with some evidence indicating that these factors may interact to enhance positive adaptation and adjustment. Therefore, this study examined the main effects of peer and family social support, and ethnic identity searching and belonging on resilience behavior in a sample of Burmese adolescent refugees living in the United States. Additionally, ethnic identity searching and belonging were examined as moderators. Results indicated adolescents who reported greater peer and family social support also reported greater resilience during adversity. Ethnic identity searching and belonging were not significant predictors of resilience; however, ethnic identity searching did enhance the relationship between peer social support and resilience at both high and low levels of peer social support. These findings highlight the importance of social support and engaging in ethnic identity exploration for adolescent refugees. The implications for future research and the potential for interventions are fully discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of uncertainty about the intentions of the Thai authorities, this article explores the opportunity to proceed with the repatriation of the Burmese refugees living in the camps along the border with Myanmar, based on a number of shifts in the current political environment. It is argued in this regard that the situation in Myanmar has not yet improved enough to justify the return of Burmese refugees on the basis of a "fundamental change of circumstances" in the country of origin. As repatriation alone will not be sufficient to close the camps in Thailand, this article discusses the importance of resorting to a "combination" of the three traditional durable solutions to refugee problems, including resettlement and local integration. Special consideration should also be given to what is sometimes referred to as the "4th solution" to the plight of refugees and displaced persons, that is, the regularization of their status as migrants within the country of asylum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La crisis de los refugiados rohinyás se ha convertido en una crisis regional. Los miembros de la Asociación de Naciones de Asia Sudoriental (ASEAN, por sus siglas en inglés) deben aumentar la cooperación regional para así mejorar la protección de los refugiados de la región. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on qualitative interviews conducted between 2008 and 2012 with Burmese forced migrants in Thailand, this study focuses on the practice of protection and management within long-stay refugee camps. Beyond official refugee status determination, the everyday interactions between authority-types and forced migrant subjects affirm or challenge notions of who gets to be considered a refugee and who is entitled to humanitarian protection. This article considers authorities as ‘street-level bureaucrats’, who rely on institutional power and resources as they wield discretion to interpret camp policy and Thai law in ways that reflect perceptions of Burmese migrants as criminal and deviant. At the same time, this study shows that forced migrants develop strategies to survive this context and assert their claims to rights and their own notion of what it means to be a refugee; pointing to ways protection can be enhanced in such protracted situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the acculturation experiences of Burmese, Bhutanese, and Iraqi refugees living in central Virginia based on the model of acculturation developed by J. W. Berry. We identified themes in examining the effects of English language proficiency, level of social support, financial stability, and expectations about and satisfaction with life in the United States on acculturative stress. Language difficulty and barriers to accessing education, employment opportunities, and health care caused stress in all cultural groups. Nearly all refugees were happy they had immigrated due to the personal freedom, safety, and hope for the future they found in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugees flee their countries of origin due to supreme hardship and threat to life, frequently having witnessed mass atrocities. This research is embedded in a salutogenic paradigm that emphasizes strength and adjustment. Twenty-five refugees from Burma who were newly arrived in Australia were interviewed and transcripts were analyzed using an Interpretive Phenomenological Analytic (IPA) approach. In addition to themes of distress, data revealed an extraordinary adaptive capacity and highlighted strengths, both individual and collective. Specific adaptive strategies included religiousness and a sense of duty to family, community, and country. Findings have implications for policy and practice that aim to support refugees and asylum seekers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In humanitarian aid to refugees, participatory and community-based approaches are today strongly emphasized as the path towards more efficient protection and assistance. Participation and community mobilization are particularly constructed as a vehicle for the promotion of gender equality. This paper explores how participatory and community-based approaches are used in efforts to promote gender equality in humanitarian aid to Burmese refugees in Thailand and Bangladesh. Refugees in Bangladesh, especially women, are problematized as passive and dependent due to their alleged lack of ‘community spirit’ and participation. In contrast, the political activism of refugee leaders and women’s organizations in Thailand is represented as problematic, illegitimate and unruly. While refugees in Bangladesh do not participate enough, it appears that the refugees in Thailand participate too much. Drawing on interviews with humanitarian workers, this paper examines this paradox through a governmentality perspective, draws out the meanings attached to the concept of participation in humanitarian policy and practice and shows how participation is employed in the government of refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an estimated 30 protracted refugee situations around the globe, the number of refugees finding themselves in prolonged displacement is alarming. While demarcated refugee camps are a visible component of this phenomenon, the link between protracted displacement and increased risks of human trafficking is much less evident. Within refugee camps, the lack of law and order or police protection along with the presence of large numbers of helpless people create a pool of readily available supply for those who want to exploit them. This account will discuss the conditions of displacement that contribute to human trafficking risks, particularly as they relate to the protracted refugee situation of Burmese in Thailand. The case study will be followed by a number of policy and practice recommendations for the reduction of these risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A salutogenic approach explored themes of strength and well-being in life stories of Burmese refugees ( N = 18) in Australia. Previous refugee studies have tended to focus on negative responses to traumatic events (e.g. posttraumatic stress disorder, depression). To widen the scope of refugee related research the focus of the current study was informed by a salutogenic perspective, exploring sources of strength that may facilitate well-being. Semi-structured narrative interviews explored: the participant's life before fleeing Burma, the journey of exile, and post-migration in Australia. Eight women and 10 men ( Mage = 39 years) were interviewed and transcriptions analysis of narratives was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ( IPA), with major themes being explicated. Super-ordinate themes pertaining to strength during times of hardship were identified and explicated as: support from interpersonal relationships, the pivotal role of values, a sense of future and agency, and reliance on spiritual or religious beliefs. Results indicate the existence of sources of strength that may contribute to human responses in times of hardship. Recognition and reflection of strengths may be incorporated into therapeutic and resettlement approaches for people from refugee backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the lived experiences of Burmese refugees in Norway in order to understand how they experience integration into local society and how they manage their transnational lives in new socio-economic, political, and cultural contexts. The examination is performed from the perspective of mobility as the entanglement of movement, representation, and practice. In teasing out the refugees' various experiences, the author emphasizes the diversity of migrant groups in terms of their ethnicity, religion, gender, and age, as well as multiple dimensions of mobilities. The complex politics of mobility – how different mobilities are produced, practised, and regulated in relation to issues such as transnational migration, diasporic cultures, and communication technologies – is seen as underlying the narratives of Burmese refugees in Norway. Their narratives equate mobilities with escape from poverty, highlighting the linkage that mobility has with poverty and development. The discussion reveals the potential for divisiveness within wider society in Norway, and it is argued that a nuanced understanding of how mobilities are differentially accessed within immigrant groups is essential for conceiving a multicultural society in Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of ongoing civil war and civil unrest in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, every year, the United States accepts increasing numbers of refugees from Burma, of which there is a population of significance within the greater Indianapolis area. When considering options for health care, Burmese refugees may opt for self care instead of care from a health care professional as a result of clashing cultural factors or fears of the unknown. This study aims to uncover how members of the Chin ethnic group have been challenged or confronted by the social, cultural, and political institutions surrounding the United States health care system. What meanings and values have these groups assigned to their traditional health care practices? How have these practices been modified as a result of influence by the US health care model or through sociocultural experiences while living within the United States? What meanings have these refugees attached to their cultural beliefs about health care in contrast with the expectations found through the utilization of the US model of health care? It is important to understand the meanings and values that Chin refugees place on home remedies and traditional practices of medicines and how these meanings and values have come into contact with the American system. Uncovering the qualitative values of experiences had by members of this population will produce a basis for future study and an impetus for improved health care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a qualitative inquiry into the experiences of Burmese refugee families with elementary schools in the U.S. and proposes a new perspective for serving the educational needs of refugee children. Data included in-depth interviews with 25 Burmese families in a midsize Midwestern city. Findings from the preliminary analysis demonstrated that due to their own limited school experiences, the parents did not know how they could advocate for their children's schooling and use academic opportunities. While the parents appreciated and encouraged their children's school learning, they lacked the resources to support their children in negotiating academic contexts. Moreover, the schools policies lacked innovation and resources to involve refugee parents. Finally, Burmese children's diverse out of school learning contexts and unique needs went unnoticed in school contexts. These findings suggest that educators, community agencies and policy makers take a new perspective, advocacy for the whole family, so that the parents might provide a stronger leadership in children's schooling. This could be accomplished in various ways: Advocacy for true bilingualism of refugee children, advocacy for family presence in school, support for community based academic learning and cultural responsiveness to the family goals for child growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2005, refugees from Burma residing in the nine camps on the Thai–Burma border have been eligible for third country resettlement. Approximately 75% of the refugees who have departed from the border camps have been resettled in the United States, including the majority of the largest ethnic group among the refugees, the Karen. This case study of the Karen refugee community in St. Paul, Minnesota supported the conclusion that although resettlement has yet to prove its effectiveness in resolving the refugee situation in Thailand in the absence of other durable solutions, it has succeeded in providing a viable alternative to life in the camps for thousands of refugee families from Burma. However, it was found that there were also lessons to be learned from the Karen in St. Paul about limiting the detrimental impacts of the program, better supporting the integration process, and broadening participation in resettlement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Shan are a large migrant group from Burma (Myanmar) found within Thailand. While some Shan migrate to escape the civil war within Burma, others migrate for economic opportunity. Despite the size of this population, little is known about their health. Our study highlights the need for expanded access to primary care among this Shan population. Despite the arduous and trying journeys of these Shan migrants, they do not display the level of health sometimes attributed to health selection among immigrant groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]