Crafting Citizens: Resettlement Agencies and Refugee Incorporation in the U. S.
2011 ◽
Vol 33
(4)
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pp. 29-34
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Keyword(s):
Being a citizen means more than simply possessing proper legal documents. It also entails notions of belonging that are defined and cultivated in large part by the nation-state. As Aihwa Ong (2003) observes, citizenship is a ‘social process,’ which, in the context of the United States, is tied to wealth accumulation and self-reliance. The role of the state in this process is clearly visible in refugee resettlement, where newly arrived refugees come into contact with a host of social services designed to create citizens who are appropriately "American."