Document Type
Open Access Capstone
Publication Date
2007
Abstract
This study investigates the experiences of education in exile from a small case study of Roma refugee male youths from Kosovo temporarily settled in Macedonia as ‘asylum seekers.’ These refugees are at an overlooked age where they have slipped through the cracks between the post-war, short-term relief and longer-term development efforts in terms of education. Many of the frustrations of this community stem from their difficulties in accessing education, and their uncertain legal limbo or ‘permanently temporary’ situations.
As adolescents, refugees, and Roma, the youth are at a triple jeopardy of marginalization and invisibility. Through conversations with four Roma refugee youth and their extended families, this study chronicles the obstacles they are encountering while trying to access education, their attitudes towards schooling, and the role and the importance of education in refugees’ lives by providing stability, agency, and an invaluable investment for the future. The study also discusses the critical role that schooling plays in the psychosocial well-being of refugees. Other emerging themes include multilingualism as means of portable capital and preparation for the future, and strong family bonds as a source of healing from the traumatic effects of war. The study concludes with insights into what refugees need in order to pursue schooling.
Pages
1-128
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Military History Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Political History Commons