RESEARCH ARTICLE
A Narrative Account of the Life Experiences of Older Somali Refugee Women
Mehra Shirazi1, *, Kaltun Caynan2
1 Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2016Volume: 8
First Page: 21
Last Page: 26
Publisher Id: TOFAMSJ-8-21
DOI: 10.2174/1874922401608010021
Article History:
Received Date: 27/09/2016Revision Received Date: 05/12/2016
Acceptance Date: 05/12/2016
Electronic publication date: 29/12/2016
Collection year: 2016
© Shirazi & Caynan; Licensee Bentham Open
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to explore the factors that shape identity, agency, and quality of life for older Somali refugee women. The author used a narrative inquiry approach to analyze the life stories of 12 Somali refugee women. Narratives were analyzed for both content and form, and three main themes were identified: (1) journey of trauma and coping, (2) identity and perceptions of home and belonging, and (3) navigating a complex health care system. The findings underscore the importance of understanding the complexity of Somali refugee women’s voices in response to coping with trauma, resettlement, and belonging.
Keywords: Somali Women, Narrative, Trauma, Identity, Health.
