Not Born a Refugee Woman Contesting Identities, Rethinking Practices [Paperback]

Not Born a Refugee Womanis an in-depth inquiry into the identity construction of refugee women. It challenges and rethinks current identity concepts, policies, and practices in the context of a globalizing environment, and in the increasingly racialized post-September 11th context, from the perspective of refugee women. This collection brings together scholar_practitioners from across a wide range of disciplines. The authors emphasize refugee womens agency, resilience, and creativity, in the continuum of domestic, civil, and transnational violence and conflicts, whether in flight or in resettlement, during their uprooted journey and beyond. Through the analysis of local examples and international case studies, the authors critically examine gendered and interrelated factors such as location, humanitarian aid, race, cultural norms, and current psycho-social research that affect the identity and well being of refugee women. This volume is destined to a wide audience of scholars, students, policy makers, advocates, and service providers interested in new developments and critical practices in domains related to gender and forced migrations.

Maroussia Hajdukowski-Ahmedis a Professor at McMaster University who teaches in the French Department, the Women’s Studies Program, and at the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition. As a principal investigator of the McMaster Research Centre for the Promotion of Women’s Health, she conducted studies with immigrant and refugee women, co-authoredWomen’s Voices in Health Promotionand published essays on dialogism, participatory research, culture and mental health, and on exilic women’s narratives.

Helene Moussahas had extensive experience as an educator, researcher, and administrator, as well as in policy and organizational development, networking, and advocacy. Her last position before her retirement was with the World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerl#—