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Free keywords:
Refugee integration; decolonisation; gender; belonging; solidarity; hostile environment
Abstract:
This article contributes to efforts to decolonise refugee integration by foregrounding the experiences of women refugees, a population often overlooked and excluded. These stories make visible local power asymmetries and argue for the need to alter how policy and institutions interact with and envision displaced populations. Specifically, it argues to dismantle exclusionary power imbalances, critiquing sectarian structures that disempower and target refugee women. This requires integration strategies to become adaptable to specific contexts. The post-conflict context of Northern Ireland is an interesting place to consider these issues as the nation and national identity are themselves contested concepts, making traditional approaches to integration unsuitable. Any new approach to integration, should prioritise multi-directional exchanges, recognise refugee agency and allow for multiple forms of belonging. A need exists to recognise the important role relationships among migrants play in establishing the stability and security needed to integrate into society.
