COLLECTIVE TRAUMA IN REFUGEE LITERATURE (BASED ON ALMANACS – 14 GIGABYTES AND HALLELUIAH)

Theories of traumatic memory are uniquely topical in modern theoretical discourse, Collective trauma is a complex of psychological sensations, which is formed in witnesses or participants of tragic events, who have to deal with psychological stigma. Theoretical framework about the collective trauma is relevant to events that have taken place in Georgia, as the epochal tragedy has changed ethnic and cultural environment in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region. As the subject of research, we have defined the almanacs reflecting Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian (provoked by the third force) conflicts: 14 Gigabytes and Halleluiah. Uniqueness of 14 Gigabytes is reasoned by the concept set by the editor (Nana Gaprindashvili) and the complier of the almanac (Tea Kalandia) – 14 narrators tell about the Abkhazian episode of Russian-Georgian war. Personal stories create the monumental canvas-reflection of the feelings of youth who have been deprived of childhood. Authors of the poetic almanac Halleluiah published in 2018, under the editorship of Mzia Khetaguri, are united under refugee stigma, pain caused by losing homes, trauma, which marks each of the texts like an unhealed wound. It must be emphasized that in none of the researched authors’ texts reflects hostility or aggression towards “conflicting sides” or even the main provoking power – Russia. The presented discourse allows us to confirm the research hypothesis: conflicts provoked by Russia have forced Georgian population of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region to leave their homes, to go through the horrors of war. Refugees have to deal with the stigma of being refugees and grave experience of collective trauma, which is creatively transformed, reflexed in the almanacs 14 Gigabytes and Halleluiah.

Writing in and Out of Exile: A Foucauldean Reading of No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani

“Refugee” is a historically constructed term that privileged concerns that are substantially ideological and political rather than economic and ecological. But one cannot neglect the fact that environmental and economic concerns cannot be set apart from the political and hence rises the necessity to create a new inclusive category of “ essential needs” to consider their intrinsic interconnectivity as its one of the apriorism. Refugee literature essentially addresses not only the displacement but the gaps that are found in the sociological approach to “statelessness” and migration. On the other hand, literature stands for individual expressions and experience. Literature in the context of statelessness not only signifies the notion of being a “refugee” but being an “ asylum, seeker” as well. No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani is such an autobigraphcial novel written in the backdrop of his experience as an asylum seeker and consequent incarceration in the Australian detention regime. The Australian detention centre is built and worked in such a way that it satisfies the idea of the panopticon. The Kyriarchal system works in the prison even in a way that affects the psyche of the imprisoned individuals and thus these stateless asylum seekers undergo extreme existential dilemmas and commit severe crimes, turning against one another and sometimes even suicides. On the basis of the experiences of Boochani, the carceral system of Australian detention centre is expounded here through a Foucaludean idea of punishment, Bentham’s notion of the panopticon as well Fiorenza’s idea of kyriarchy where all of them are essentially different shades and shapes of exerting power.

Persistent psychological distress in resettled refugee women-at-risk at one-year follow-up: Contributions of trauma, post-migration problems, loss, and trust

The mental health of women has been largely neglected in the refugee literature, notwithstanding the specific gender-related issues that confront women seeking asylum. Furthermore, a specific category of women, deemed to be women-at-risk, face particular challenges in their journey and resettlement process. This longitudinal study investigated psychological distress in refugee women-at-risk one year after resettlement in Australia. Follow-up survey of 83 women-at-risk (mean age = 33.41 years; SD = 11.93) assessed: trauma events and symptoms; loss events and loss distress; level of post-migration problems; anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms; and absence of trust in community members. Participants demonstrated no symptom change since initial assessment ( p > .05). Substantial proportions of women reported traumatization (39%), PTSD (20%), anxiety (32%), and depression (39%) above clinical cut-offs, and high levels of somatization and loss distress. Post-migration problems, trauma events, and region of birth were associated with all symptoms, with post-migration problems the strongest predictor. Absence of trust in community members was associated with trauma, depression, and somatic symptoms. Initial trauma and somatic symptoms were associated with follow-up traumatic and somatic symptoms. Loss and trauma events were associated with loss distress. Findings underline the role of post-migration problems on psychological distress and the need to consider women’s psychological wellbeing in the context of their trauma and loss history, potential impacts of ethnicity, and complex socio-cultural dynamics underpinning issues of trust within communities. Effective service delivery requires that practitioners screen for and address psychological distress in women-at-risk at least up to 18 months after resettlement.

Enter the Syrians

This chapter presents each of Jordan and Lebanon's refugee policies at the start of the Syrian exodus and state legal obligations under international treaties. It analyzes the effects of the refugees on Jordan and Lebanon in the context of past incapacities by presenting conclusions from the refugee literature about the effects of forced migration. It also examines the numerous changes in rent, jobs, inflation, the public services of health care, education, and waste removal, and resource provisions of electricity and water, using available data. The chapter discusses disputes about data and details the benefits that accrued to some citizens as a result of the presence of the Syrians and international organizations. It recounts how the Western world awoke to the Syrian refugee crisis four years into the Syrian civil war, when Syrians arrived on Greek shores as refugees fleeing.

Refugee Experience in Alan Gratz’s Refugee and Gillian Cross’ After Tomorrow Margarete Rubik Summary As a response to recent

As a response to recent mass migratory movements, numerous children’s novels about refugees have been published in the last decades. The paper analyses two of these novels, Alan Gratz’s Refugee (2017) and Gillian Cross’s After Tomorrow (2013), and puts them into the context of the ‘transcultural turn’ in cultural studies. The paper also presents the results of a survey among university lecturers of various countries about the benefits, challenges and teaching aims of including migrant and refugee literature into the courses they teach.

ZUM SPRACHWECHSEL IN DER ZEITGENÖSSISCHEN „MIGRATIONSLITERATUR“ SLAWISCH-RUSSISCHER PROVENIENZ

The main topic of this article is migration literature written in German mainly by writers of Slavonic-Russian descent. Language as well as switching language in literature is a crucial problem in émigré literature, in migration literature, and refugee literature. Most authors of the children / grandchildren generation of (e)migrants writing in German do not ignore the language of their parents / grandparents, even not in extreme cases of denying their family roots. The new languages in which these literary texts are written are often considered as a useful tool to express unsaid or tabooed problems. Using the German language such kind of works may often find themselves in a no man’s land between languages, cultures and literatures; evaluated often as intercultural or hybrid texts. Bi- and multilingualism are seen as essential conditions for an effective integration, as a conscious choice generating fluid, double or multiple identities. Linguistically seen often interesting language interactions, wordplays, and verbal wits may occur. The literary characters in these texts are often identified or associated with their authors, as a special type of reception or reading strategy influenced by intensified traces in texts. The refugee crisis represents another challenge of the mention literary topic in transformation and continuity for writers as well as for (literary) scholars.

Beyond words and rhetoric – small voluntary organisations and effective refugee integration in the communities

Purpose Integration is a complex, contested and multidimensional concept. This paper aims to examine the impact of small voluntary agencies (SVA) in the integration of refugees into social, economic and citizenship structures in the UK. Design/methodology/approach This study is rooted in in-depth interviews with 20 participants and a case study (ethnography research) that focuses on a refugee-assisting organisation in Southeast England. Findings The findings reveal cases of exemplary leadership in actions and social solidarity exhibited by SVA through innovative actions aimed at helping individuals and communities which may be particularly disadvantaged. It revealed the mixed embeddedness that these agencies create that enable refugees to pursue a new life, employment and citizenship. Research limitations/implications One of the limitations of the study is the focus on one case study. However, this provided an opportunity to conduct in-depth interviews and examination of the research objectives. Practical implications With the ever-decreasing government revenues, there is evidence of the tremendous achievement of the voluntary sector in many endeavours in the community. This provides an opportunity for a more strategic partnership between public and private actors. Social implications The activities of the SVA are the catalyst to refugees’ integration as policies that enable regaining self-esteem, seeking employment or starting a business. Originality/value This study provides the opportunity to explore the relatively under-research and under-publicized role of SVA in the migrants and refugee literature.