The Time Politics of Refugee Resettlement and Higher Education in the United States

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.41129

Keywords:

Higher education for refugees, refugee resettlement, time politics, United States

Abstract

This paper sheds light on experiences within systems of US resettlement and its structures of (un)welcome. There is considerable evidence that the policy framework of these systems complicates the possibilities of higher education for refugees. Drawing on interviews with residents with a refugee background and resettlement service providers, we explore how US refugee resettlement policy creates obstacles for refugees in pursuing higher education and professional work by imposing a particular regimentation of time on refugees’ lives that impels them to rapidly integrate into low-income employment markets. We argue that such a time politics of speed hastens the resettlement process to advance the goal that residents with refugee background obtain rapid economic self-sufficiency and discuss the policy implications.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Matthew Wolfgram, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States

Matthew Wolfgram is a Researcher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He can be research at mswolfgram@wisc.edu.

Paul Van Auken, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, United States

Dr. Paul M. Van Auken is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He can be reached at vanaukep@uwosh.edu.

References

Anderson, B. (2010). Migration, immigration controls and the fashioning of precarious workers. Work, Employment and Society, 24(2), 300–317. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170103621 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017010362141

Ager, A., & Strang, A. (2008). Understanding integration: A conceptual framework. Journal of Refugee Studies, 21(2), 166–191. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fen016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fen016

Bandhauer, C. A. (2014, August 15). Lawfully unequal: Latinos, race and human rights [Conference paper]. American Sociological Society 109th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Barber, P. G., & Lem, W. (Eds.). (2018). Migration, temporality, and capitalism: Entangled mobilities across global spaces. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72781-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72781-3_1

Birks, M., Chapman, Y., & Francis, K. (2008). Memoing in qualitative research: Probing data and processes. Journal of Research in Nursing, 13(1), 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987107081254 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987107081254

Brown, A., & Scribner, T. (2014). Unfulfilled promises, future possibilities: The refugee resettlement system in the United States. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2(2), 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/233150241400200203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14240/jmhs.v2i2.27

Bruno, A. (2017). Reception and placement of refugees in the United States. Congressional Research Service. US Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. https://www.state.gov/refugee-admissions/reception-and-placement/

Buzzanell, P. M., & Goldzwig, S. R. (1991). Linear and nonlinear career models: Metaphors, paradigms, and ideologies. Management Communication Quarterly, 4(4), 466–505. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318991004004004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318991004004004

Cain, G. (1976). The challenge of segmented labour market theories to orthodox theory: A survey. Journal of Economic Literature, 14(4), 1215–1257. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2722547

Campbell, J. A., III. (2017). Attitudes towards refugee education and its link to xenophobia in the United States. Intercultural Education, 28(5), 474–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2017.1336374 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2017.1336374

Cohen, E. F. (2011). Reconsidering US immigration reform: The temporal principle of citizenship. Perspectives on Politics, 9(3), 575–583. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41622822 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592711002787

Cwerner, S. B. (2004). Faster, faster and faster: The time politics of asylum in the UK. Time & Society, 13(1), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X04040747 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X04040747

Dahya, N., & Dryden-Peterson, S. (2017). Tracing pathways to higher education for refugees: The role of virtual support networks and mobile phones for women in refugee camps. Comparative Education, 53(2), 284–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2016.1259877 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2016.1259877

Darrow, J. H. (2015). Getting refugees to work: A street-level perspective of refugee resettlement policy. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 34(2), 78–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdv002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdv002

Darrow, J. H. (2018). Working it out in practice: Tensions embedded in the US refugee resettlement program resolved through implementation. In A. Garnier, L. Jubilut, & K. Sandvik (Eds.), Refugee resettlement: Power, politics and humanitarian governance (pp. 95–117). Berghahn Books. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvw04brz.8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvw04brz.8

Darrow, J. H., & Scholl, J. H. (2020). Chaos and confusion: Impacts of the Trump administration executive orders on the US refugee resettlement system. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 44(4), 362–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2020.1767745 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2020.1767745

Davis, J. H. (2018, September 17). Trump to cap refugees allowed into U.S. at 30,000, a record low. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/us/politics/trump-refugees-historic-cuts.html

DeMartino, L. (2021). De-centering the deficit framework: Courageous refugee mentors in educational spaces. The Urban Review, 53, 243–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-020-00579-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-020-00579-7

Dryden-Peterson, S. (2012). The politics of higher education for refugees in a global movement for primary education. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 27(2), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.34718 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.34718

Dubow, E. F., Boxer, P., & Huesmann, L. R. (2009). Long-term effects of parents’ education on children’s educational and occupational success: Mediation by family interactions, child aggression, and teenage aspirations. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 55(3), 224–249. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.0.0030 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.0.0030

Fairclough, N. (2001). Critical discourse analysis as a method in social scientific research. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (pp. 122–136). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857028020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857028020

Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical discourse analysis and critical policy studies. Critical Policy Studies, 7(2), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2013.798239 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2013.798239

Gee, J. P. (2014). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819679 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819679

Gonzalez Benson, O. (2016). Refugee resettlement policy in an era of neoliberalization: A policy discourse analysis of the Refugee Act of 1980. Social Service Review, 90(3), 515–549. https://doi.org/10.1086/688613 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/688613

Guild, B. (2017, November 1). What is extreme betting? Whitehouse outlines proposed immigration policy. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/what-is-extreme-vetting/

Hailu, M. F. (2020). Postsecondary schooling ideologies of Nepalese American families in the United States. New Directions for Higher Education, 191, 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20379 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20379

Halpern, P. (2008, November 16). Refugee economic self-sufficiency: An exploratory study of approaches used in office of refugee resettlement programs. US Department of Health and Human Services. https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/refugee-economic-self-sufficiency-exploratory-study-approaches-used-office-refugee-resettlement

Harrison, J. L., & Lloyd, S. E. (2012). Illegality at work: Deportability and the productive new era of immigration enforcement. Antipode, 44(2), 365–385. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2010.00841.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2010.00841.x

Hirano, E. (2014). Refugees in first-year college: Academic writing challenges and resources. Journal of Second Language Writing, 23, 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.01.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.01.001

Hmong Resettlement Task Force. (2005, February). Hmong resettlement task force: Report to Governor Doyle. State of Wisconsin. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjD-YX88-6BAxWFrYkEHVEcDd8QFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdm16119.contentdm.oclc.org%2Fdigital%2Fapi%2Fcollection%2Fp267601coll4%2Fid%2F1341%2Fdownload&usg=AOvVaw0L_xAZAuAilFyiU4bomnQ2&opi=89978449

Kennedy, E. M. (1981). Refugee Act of 1980. International Migration Review, 15(1–2), 141–156. https://doi.org/10.2307/2545333 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0197918381015001-217

Larsen, C. P. (2022). Dreams beyond safety: A critical qualitative investigation of the experiences of refugee students at two-year public colleges in Wisconsin [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Wisconsin—Madison]. The University of Wisconsin—Madison ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. https://www.proquest.com/openview/f732a4f702a580dee5a847b6eb311ab0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Leinbach, K. (2018). Urban ecology: A natural way to transform kids, parks, cities, and the world. Morgan James Publishing.

Levinson, B., Sutton, M., & Winstead, T. (2009). Education policy as a practice of power: Theoretical tools, ethnographic methods, democratic options. Educational Policy, 23(6), 767–795. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904808320676 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904808320676

Lindsey, K. (2014, June). Access to education: Challenges and opportunities for immigrant students. First Focus and Center for the Children of Immigrants. https://firstfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Education-Access-for-Immigrant-Students-2014-06-10-2.pdf

LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service). (2009). The real cost of welcome: A financial analysis of local refugee reception.

Luu, D. H., & Blanco, G. L. (2021). Exploring US federal policy discourse on refugee access to post-secondary Education. Higher Education Policy, 34, 456–473. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-019-00144-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-019-00144-2

Majka, L., & Mullan, B. (2002). Ethnic communities and ethnic organizations reconsidered: South-East Asians and Eastern Europeans in Chicago. International Migration, 40(2), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00191 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2435.00191

McBrien, J. L. (2005). Educational needs and barriers for refugee students in the United States: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 329–364. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075003329 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075003329

Munn, N. D. (1992). The cultural anthropology of time: A critical essay. Annual Review of Anthropology, 21(1), 93–123. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.an.21.100192.000521 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.an.21.100192.000521

Ngai, M. M. (2014). Impossible subjects. Princeton University Press.

ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement). (2012). The Refugee Act. US Department of Health and Human Service. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/policy-guidance/refugee-act

Portes, A., & Stepick, A. (1985). Unwelcome immigrants: The labor market experiences of 1980 (Mariel) Cuban and Haitian refugees in South Florida. American Sociological Review, 50(4), 493–514. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095435 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2095435

Rosenberg, M. (2018, February 14). Exclusive: Dozen of refugee resettlement offices to close as Trump downsizes program. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-refugees-exclusive/exclusive-dozens-of-refugee-resettlement-offices-to-close-as-trump-downsizes-program-idUSKCN1FY1EJ

Ryan, G. W., & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X02239569 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X02239569

Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage Publications.

Shaw, S. A., Funk, M., Garlock, E. S., & Arok, A. (2021). Understanding successful refugee resettlement in the US. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(4), 4034–4052. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa137 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa137

Shore, C. (2008). Audit culture and illiberal governance: Universities and the politics of accountability. Anthropological Theory, 8(3), 278–298. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463499608093815 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1463499608093815

Shore, C., & Wright, S. (2003). Anthropology of policy: Perspectives on governance andpower. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203451038 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203451038

Strang, A., & Ager, A. (2010). Refugee integration: Emerging trends and remaining agendas. Journal of Refugee Studies, 23(4), 589–607. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feq046 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feq046

Streitwieser, B., Loo, B., Ohorodnik, M., & Jeong, J. (2019). Access for refugees into higher education: A review of interventions in North America and Europe. Journal of Studies in International Education, 23(4), 473–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315318813201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315318813201

Taubman, P., & Wachter, M. L. (1986). Segmented labor markets. In O. Ashenfelter & R. Layard (Eds.), Handbook of labor economics (pp. 1183–1217). Elsevier Science Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4463(86)02011-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4463(86)02011-4

Unangst, L., Casellas Connors, I., & Barone, N. (2022). State-based policy supports for refugee, asylee, and TPS-background students in US higher education. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 38(1), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.40819 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.40819

US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. (2010). Abandoned on arrival: Implications for refugees and local communities burdened by a US refugee system that is not working. US Printing Office.

Van Auken, P. M., Barron, E. S., Xiong, C., & Persson, C. (2016). “Like a second home”: Conceptualizing experiences within the Fox River Watershed through a framework of emplacement. Water, 8(8), Article 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8080352 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w8080352

Van Auken, P., Hauser, O., Wolover, D. J., Lerch, B., Jackson, K., Son, J., Reed, S., & Crowley, C. (2019). Working through uncertainty: The perils and potential of community-engaged research on refugee resettlement. Social Sciences, 8(3), Article 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8030073 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8030073

Wolfgram, M. (2020). Refugees and the audit culture of international higher education in the United States. New Directions for Higher Education, 2020(191), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20382 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20382

Wolfgram, M., & Vang, I. (2019). The time politics of higher education for refugees in the United States. Anthropology News, 60(3), e113–e117. https://doi.org/10.1111/AN.1180 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/AN.1180

Wolfgram, M., Vang, I., & Cohen, C. B. (2018, December). Documenting higher education for refugees in Wisconsin. Center for Research on College–Workforce Transitions. https://ccwt.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/CCWT_report_Documenting-Higher-Education-for-Refugees-in-Wisconsin.pdf

Yi, V., & Kiyama, J. M. (2018). Failed educational justice: Refugee students’ postsecondary realities in restrictive times. Association for the Study of Higher Education, National Institute for Transformation and Equity Report, & Lumina Foundation. https://nite-education.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Failed-Educational-Justice-FINAL-2.pdf

Zimmermann, W., & Tumlin, K. C. (1999). Patchwork policies: State assistance for immigrants under welfare reform (Occasional Paper Number 24). The Urban Institute. https://webarchive.urban.org/publications/309007.html

Published

2023-12-07

How to Cite

Wolfgram, M., & Van Auken, P. (2023). The Time Politics of Refugee Resettlement and Higher Education in the United States . Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 39(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.41129

Similar Articles

<< < 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.