Building attachments to places of settlement: A holistic approach to refugee wellbeing in Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Important people-place relationships are often severed during forced displacement, leading many refugees to feel a sense of loss, grief, and disorientation which can negatively impact upon their wellbeing and hinder their resettlement in a new country. Whilst there is an extensive body of literature concerning the negative impact that displacement can have on the lives of individuals and diasporic communities, there has been much less focus on how former refugees might cope with their loss and enhance their wellbeing by building new attachments to places of settlement. Drawing upon a multisensory research project with resettlement practitioners and female former refugees in Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand, this article explores how local initiatives are familiarising individuals with their social, built, and natural environments, and how they are building attachments to unique places by reducing stress and anxiety and enhancing feelings of safety, autonomy, and belonging.