Abstract
The increasing number of refugees across the world has entailed reinforced attention to this disadvantaged group, particularly on their lives after displacement. Although assimilation theories focus on how migrants navigate within a new society, the acculturation process itself has remained somewhat distinct and challenging for refugees among the broader migrant group due to their inherent specificities. This study aimed to explore if and how the generational aspect and social capital in the form of ethnic social connection help refugees to navigate racial inequalities and hegemony during the resettlement process. The situation may be more complex and multi-faceted for minority refugees and can shape their perspectives and aspirations regarding acculturation – to be integrated or assimilated - differently. This ethnographic study with a second-generation Muslim refugee couple found a dichotomy among the second generation of Muslim refugees: educated ones with higher social capital tend to integrate, while less-educated ones with low or no social capital tend to be marginalized. These findings' conformity to the segmented assimilation theory may be due to the characteristics of target participants. More researches are recommended to have a comprehensive understanding of the emerging issues with refugees, with a special focus on minority refugees, in a host country.
Highlights
The cross-country migration of humans is almost as old as their emergence thousands of years ago in Africa
There has, been changes in patterns with regard to migration to the United States of America (USA) over the years: pre-First World War and pre-1965 period is characterized by inflows of white-European migrants, while post-1965 witnessed non-white migrants from South America and South Asia and South-East Asia [4]
During the last two decades, the USA saw the migration of refugees from conflict-affected African and Asian countries [3]
Summary
The number of immigrants has significantly intensified due to various political, social, and economic processes, which have, in many places, resulted in conflicts and forced people to move from their place of origin. During the last two decades, the USA saw the migration of refugees from conflict-affected African and Asian countries [3]. In this changed context, scholars have started revisiting various concepts related to migration, how the immigrants ‘adjust’ in the new society [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. It is worthy of scholarly exploration to understand if refugees, who form a distinct group compared to other types of immigrants and asylum seekers, have added another layer of complexities in the traditional migration dynamics in the USA
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