Acculturation through the lens of language: Syrian refugees in Canada and Germany

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1351-1374
Author(s):  
Katrin Lindner ◽  
Kathleen Hipfner-Boucher ◽  
Anna Yamashita ◽  
Claudia Maria Riehl ◽  
Mohcine Ait Ramdan ◽  
...  

AbstractThe objective of our study was to investigate the acculturation experiences of Syrian refugee families in two contexts (Toronto, Canada, and Munich, Germany) 2 years postresettlement. Specifically, using qualitative methodologies, we examined acculturation orientation through the lens of parent and child minority and majority language use and preferences within multiple contexts. The interview data related to parent and child minority and majority language practices in Canada suggested an integration orientation. Those of families living in Germany were less indicative of a clear orientation; contextual factors restricted parents’ participation in the majority culture, while the youngest of their children tended toward assimilation. Our study revealed similarities and differences in the acculturation experiences of Syrian refugees in Canada and Germany and unveiled specific factors that influenced acculturation orientation in each country.

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Sirkeci

Doğu ve güney komşuları üzerinde gelen göç akınlarının ve üye ülkeler arasındaki göçlerin artışıyla Avrupa Birliği (AB) en büyük krizlerinden birini yaşamaktadır. Avrupa’daki en ana tartışma konuları arasında Avrupa’ya göçü ve AB içindeki göçü sınırlamak ve üye ülkeler arasında mülteci kotası ve külfet paylaşımına yapılan itirazlar yer aldı. Bu krizde Türkiye anahtar ülke olarak ortaya çıktı ve ülkedeki büyük Suriyeli mülteci nüfusu ve bu nüfusun Avrupa’ya gitmesini engellemesi karşılığında vaat edilen milyarlarca Avro nedeniyle tartışmaların odağında yer aldı. Suriye krizi 4,8 milyon mülteci yarattı ve 2016 yılı sonu itibariyle bunların 2,8 milyonu Türkiye’de ikamet etmekteydi. Suriyeli mültecilere karşı cömert tavrıyla Türkiye güvenli bir ülke olarak tescil edilmiş oldu. Bu, hikayenin daha karanlık bir başka yüzünü gölgelemektedir. Çünkü aynı ülkenin vatandaşları 1980 askeri darbesinden bu yana milyonu aşkın sığınma başvurusu yaptılar. Ülkenin bugünkü şartları ve yeni veriler, Türkiye’den AB’ye yönelen daha çok mülteci akını olacağını gösteriyor. ABSTRACT IN ENGLISHTurkey’s refugees, Syrians and refugees from Turkey: a country of insecurityThe European Union (EU) has faced one of its biggest crises with the rise of population inflows through its Eastern and Southern neighbours as well as movements within the Union. In 2016, the main debate that dominated Europe was on restricting migration within and into the EU along with concerns and objections to the refugee quota systems and the sharing of the burden among member states. Turkey emerged as a ‘gate keeper’ in this crisis and has since been at the centre of debates because of the large Syrian refugee population in the country and billions of Euros it was promised to prevent refugees travelling to Europe. The Syrian crisis produced over 4.8 million refugees with over 2.8 million were based in Turkey by the end of 2016. Turkey with its generous support for Syrian refugees has been confirmed as a ‘country of security’. This shadows the darker side of affairs as the very same country has also produced millions of asylum seekers since the 1980 military coup. Current circumstances and fresh evidence indicate that there will be more EU bound refugees coming through and from Turkey. 


2021 ◽  
pp. 104365962110263
Author(s):  
Ahlam Al-Natour ◽  
Edith J. Morris ◽  
Samar Mohammad Al-Ostaz

Background The Syrian war conflict ended with devastating impact on Syrian refugee women and their children. A few studies have been done that explored the impact of the civil war and displacement of Syrian families from a cultural perspective. The purpose of this study was to highlight the experiences of the Syrian war–refugee families who have sought shelter in a host country. Method A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted using a semistructured interview approach among 16 Syrian refugee women who were approached from two Jordanian health care centers. Results The main themes discussed how the war ended with financial and social stress, family violence, and hazardous effects on women and children health. Conclusion This article introduced how culture and religion influence how family unit and members responded to war stressors. This study provided transcultural nursing knowledge, allowing nurses to be grounded in individualized culturally specific care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Tavassoli ◽  
Alireza Jalilifar ◽  
Peter RR White

This study investigates the representations of the Syrian refugee crisis in commentary articles published in two British newspapers with different political orientations, The Guardian and The Telegraph. The study draws on the appraisal model as a linguistic tool to analyse the attitudinal language of the articles indicative of the stances adopted by the newspapers. Such stances have the potential to position the readers to positively view the refugees and accept them into their homeland labelled as the welcoming stance, or otherwise reject them labelled as unwelcoming. The selected 20 articles belong to September 2015 and March 2016, the beginning and end of a 6-month period during which important policy changes were made by the leading countries in the wake of 2015 terrorist attacks. The findings indicate that the left-leaning The Guardian adopts a dominantly welcoming stance towards the Syrian refugees and consistently maintains this welcoming stance after 6 months of chaos across Europe. The right-leaning The Telegraph, however, shows a more unwelcoming stance and becomes even more unwelcoming after 6 months.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hady Naal ◽  
Dana Nabulsi ◽  
Nour El Arnaout ◽  
Lina Abdouni ◽  
Hani Dimassi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, close to 6 million Syrian refugees have escaped to Syria’s neighbouring countries, including Lebanon. Evidence suggests rising levels of mental health disorders among Syrian refugee populations. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, large-scale studies addressing the mental health of adult Syrian refugees in Lebanon are lacking. Aims: We examined the prevalence of depression symptoms, which represent a common and debilitating mental health disorder among Syrian refugee populations in Lebanon, along with their sociodemographic and clinical correlates.Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was conducted as part of a collaborative project-“Sijilli”- led by the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon) across 4 informal tented settlements for refugees (Beirut, Bekaa, North, South) in Lebanon among adult Syrian refugees (≥18), over a period extending from 2018 to 2020. The survey inquired about participants’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and screened participants for symptoms of depression through sequential methodology using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9). Results: A total of 3255 adult Syrian refugees were enrolled in the study. Of those refugees, only 51.6% (n=1678) screened positive on the PHQ-2 and were therefore eligible to complete the PHQ-9. The PHQ-9 analysis revealed high prevalence (25%) of moderate to severe depression in the total sample, suggestive of high probability for major depression disorder (MDD). Further analyses indicate that being ≥45 years of age (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.22-2.36), a woman (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07-1.69), divorced/separated (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.57-7.01), reporting a neurological (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.20-2.61) or a mental health condition (OR 5.30, 95% CI 2.40-11.66) are major risk factors for MDD.Conclusion: Our study suggests that one in four Syrian refugees in Lebanon have probable MDD, and our findings have important public health and clinical implications on refugee health. There is a need to enhance screening efforts, to improve access and referral to mental health services, and to improve post-migration factors among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Mandic

As of March 2016, 4.8 million Syrian refugees were scattered in two dozen countries by the civil war. Refugee smuggling has been a major catalyst of human trafficking in the Middle East and Europe migrant crises. Data on the extent to which smuggling devolved into trafficking in this refugee wave is, however, scarce. This article investigates how Syrian refugees interact with smugglers, shedding light on how human smuggling and human trafficking interrelated on the Balkan Route. I rely on original evidence from in-depth interviews (n = 123) and surveys (n = 100) with Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, and Germany; as well as ethnographic observations in thirty-five refugee camps or other sites in these countries. I argue that most smugglers functioned as guides, informants, and allies in understudied ways—thus refugee perceptions diverge dramatically from government policy assumptions. I conclude with a recommendation for a targeted advice policy that would acknowledge the reality of migrant-smuggler relations, and more effectively curb trafficking instead of endangering refugees.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Amal Riyadh Kitishat ◽  
Murad Al Kayed ◽  
Mohammad Al-Ajalein

The present study employs corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis to investigate the attitudes of Jordanian news towards the Syrian refugee crisis. The corpus of the research, which consists of 10140 articles (Word types: 103170 and Word tokens: 1956589), were taken from the Petra news agency between 2016 and 2018. Antconc Tools Version 3.4.4w was used to analyze the data. The study used corpus statistical tools of collocates and concordance. Collocates tool used to create a list of 200 collocates associated with the words: /lad3iʔ/ ‘refugee’, /lad3iʔi:n/ ‘refugees’, /su:ri:/ ‘Syrian’, and /su:ryi:n/ ‘Syrians’. These collocates were organized into two thematic categories: ‘services and resources’ and ‘Jordanians and Syrians’. The study used a concordance tool to unveil the attitudes of newspapers towards the Syrian refugee crisis. The findings of the study showed that Jordanians see Syrians as “brothers” and “guests”. However, Jordanian newspapers overstated the negative effect of Syrian refugees on the Jordanian economy, education, healthcare, etc. Jordanians were frustrated because Syrians compete with them on their resources and governmental services.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-118
Author(s):  
Tünde Nagy

Abstract Using the right collocations in a foreign language is often a challenge for language learners who may not be familiar with their use and characteristics. After presenting the types of collocations and the importance they have in the acquisition of a foreign language, the paper draws attention to the necessity of raising students’ awareness of collocations, and at the same time it reflects on possible ways of teaching them. Focusing especially on verb-noun collocations, the paper examines the learning materials used in the EFL classes at Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Miercurea Ciuc, with special regard to the exercises on these constructions. In line with construction grammar theories (Goldberg 1995, 1997, 2006), it is assumed that collocations are to be treated as constructions, pairings of form and meaning, including patterns with different degrees of predictability. Collocations, consisting of both predictable (e. g. read a book, blue sky) and non-predictable forms (e. g. run a program, safe and sound) can be more easily remembered if regarded as constructions where all the constituent elements contribute to the meaning of the construction as a whole (but whose meaning is more than the sum of the constituent elements). In order to gain a better understanding of collocations, the use of electronic corpora and electronic databases as well as additional materials on collocations that would complement the language materials used in class is highly encouraged. By making use of these resources, students can see examples of everyday language use and become more aware of the use of collocations as well as the similarities and differences between them in different languages.


Author(s):  
Nurhan Kavaklı

The aim of this study is to examine the hate speech in the reader comments towards Syrian refugee s in Turkey. Within the framework of this purpose, the reader comments made on the news about the violence towards a Syrian child, which took place on the web page of national newspaper Hürriyet, are analysed. It is hoped that, this study will help reveal the concerns or motives which lie behind the negative point of views and opinions towards Syrian refugees. Thus, it may make a contribution to determining the counter-strategies against the intolerance and hostility towards the refugees.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanadi Syam ◽  
Emilie Venables ◽  
Bernard Sousse ◽  
Nathalie Severy ◽  
Luz Saavedra ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Long term displacement and exposure to challenging living conditions can influence family dynamics; gender roles; violence at home and in the community and mental well-being. This qualitative study explores these issues as perceived by Syrian refugees who have been living in Shatila, a Palestinian camp in South Beirut, Lebanon, for at least 2 years. Methods Twenty eight in-depth interviews with men and women were conducted between February and June 2018. Women were recipients of mental health services, and men were recruited from the local community. Interviews were conducted in Arabic, translated, transcribed, coded and analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Our results show patterns of harsh living conditions similar to those described earlier in the course of the Syrian refugee crisis. Lack of infrastructure, overcrowding, cramped rooms and violence were all reported. Participants also described a lack of social support, discrimination and harassment within the host community, as well as limited social support networks within their own Syrian refugee community. Family dynamics were affected by the increased responsibilities on men, women and children; with additional economic and employment demands on men, women assuming the roles of ‘mother and father’ and children having to work and contribute to the household. Participants discussed several types of violence, including parental violence against children and violence in the community. Violence against women was also reported. Reported mental health issues included depression, anxiety, sadness, frustration, hopelessness, self-neglect and a loss of sense of self and self-worth. Some participants expressed a wish to die. Conclusions This study describes experiences of changing gender roles, family dynamics, violence and mental health after long-term displacement in in Shatila camp, South Beirut as perceived by Syrian refugees. A lack of safety and security coupled with economic hardship rendered refugees even more susceptible to exploitation and harassment. Parental violence was the most commonly reported type of domestic violence.


2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Titzmann ◽  
Rainer K. Silbereisen ◽  
Eva Schmitt-Rodermund

Abstract. Immigrant adolescents have been found to prefer intraethnic over interethnic friendships, a phenomenon called friendship homophily (FH). This study investigates whether Russian Jewish immigrants in Israel and ethnic German immigrants in Germany differ in their FH rates, which variables predict friendship homophily in each sample, and whether relative strength of association between predictors and FH differs between both samples. FH is measured using reports on best friends, cliques, and distant friendships. Results found FH, in general, to be more pronounced in the Russian Jewish sample, and acculturation orientation and language use predicted interindividual differences in FH in both samples. Perceived discrimination predicted higher levels of FH in cliques and distant friendships only in Israel. Findings suggest the importance of acculturation in selecting intra- or interethnic friends.


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