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From Burma to Dallas: the Experience of Resettled

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From Burma to Dallas: the Experience of Resettled FROM BURMA TO DALLAS: THE EXPERIENCE OF RESETTLED EMERGING ADULT KAREN REFUGEES Laura Elizabeth Booher A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF ARTS May 2013 Committee: Dr. Margaret Z. Booth, Advisor Dr. Sara Abercrombie Dr. Susana Peña ii ABSTRACT Dr. Margaret Z. Booth, Advisor Across the globe, millions of people have been forcibly displaced giving them a shared experience with other refugees. However, their journeys are differentiated by the sociohistorical circumstances and personal developmental stages that contextualize each experience. Every refugee has a story to tell. This qualitative study explores the stories of emerging adult Karen refugees who have resettled in Dallas, Texas, and examines what their shared experience entails. The Karen are the second largest ethnic group in Burma recognized for their strong ethnic identity and decades of in-country conflict. After fleeing Burma, many Karen refugees have spent most or all of their lives in refugee camps in Thailand. Thousands of Karen have left the Protracted Refugee Situation with the option of third-country resettlement in the United States. Through transcendental phenomenological methods this study seeks to understand the shared experience of eight participants who are now in their emerging adult stage of life. They were all born in Burma or in a Thai border camp, lived in the Thai camps for over ten years during their childhood, and then resettled to the United States. Through phenomenological reduction, clustered themes emerged giving meanings to the textural descriptions. These meanings took shape through the structural variation of continual flight occurring in the three stages of origin, Protracted Refugee Situation, and third country resettlement. The synthesis of these descriptions makes up the essence of the now emerging adult Karen refugee experience. The overall essence provides us with new knowledge and understanding of the Karen refugee experience phenomenon which informs previous theoretical research done on refugee studies and emerging adulthood as well as prior empirical work on the Karen people. iii I think when the people in Burma stop thinking about whether or not they're free, it'll mean that they're free. -Aung San Suu Kyi iv “The word phenomenon comes from the Greek phaenesthai, to flare up, to show itself, to appear. Constructed from phaino, phenomenon means to bring to light, to place in brightness, to show itself in itself, the totality of what lies before us in the light of day.” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 26). Dedicated to the Karen refugees in Dallas. May this study help bring your experience to light. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project that means so much to me was made achievable with the constant backing and guidance of mentors, friends, and family. First of all, I am sincerely grateful for my thesis advisor and chair Dr. Margaret Z. Booth who was always patient and encouraging while offering me advice, edits, and much needed coffee breaks that helped me process my research. I truly appreciate Dr. Sara Abercrombie who allowed me to take over her office with my colorful methodology questions and whose guidance and cheerleading were incalculable. I would also like to thank Dr. Susana Peña for sharing the passion and commitment to bring voice to marginalized populations and who taught me to set the highest expectations of myself. My gratitude also goes out to my BGSU support network including my home away from home at the Women’s Center. I am especially thankful for Dr. Mary Krueger whose support and empowerment helped me stay afloat. I would like to recognize my fellow MACIE students who helped me challenge myself, offered stress relief, and cheered me on through to the finish, especially Dorothy Mayne, Luis Macias, and Ellen Lambert. To my family, thank you for supporting me no matter where in the world I wander. I am notably indebted to my mother whose keen eye for grammar made for a meticulous and enduring editor. Thanks to Jackson and Sylvia for giving me company and cuddles as needed. My deepest appreciation goes out to my loving husband who embraced this experience without knowing what it was going to entail, but remained caring and devoted to helping me through it all. Lastly, I will forever cherish my eight participants. I am amazed by how open, welcoming and eager they were to share their journeys and become such active co-researchers. It is my hope that the research helped them in some small way, because the time I spent with them was humbling. I learned so much from them. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1 Background of the Study .........................................................................................................2 Rationale for the Study ............................................................................................................3 Organization of the Chapters ...................................................................................................6 Key Terms Defined .................................................................................................................7 Myanmar or Burma? ............................................................................................................7 Other Salient Terms .............................................................................................................8 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 10 Refugee Status and Durable Solutions ................................................................................... 10 The Refugee Experience ........................................................................................................ 13 “Inescapably Relevant Context” ............................................................................................ 19 The Karen in Burma ........................................................................................................... 20 Karen Refugees .................................................................................................................. 22 Resettled Karen .................................................................................................................. 28 Karen Identity .................................................................................................................... 32 Emerging Adulthood ............................................................................................................. 35 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 40 Phenomenological Framework ............................................................................................... 40 Epoche .................................................................................................................................. 42 vii Site Selection ......................................................................................................................... 46 Participants ............................................................................................................................ 47 Data Collection ...................................................................................................................... 49 Initial Interviews ................................................................................................................ 49 Follow Up Questions ......................................................................................................... 50 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 51 Trustworthiness ..................................................................................................................... 52 Methodological Limitations ................................................................................................... 54 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS ....................................................................................................... 56 Individual Descriptions .......................................................................................................... 56 Jamal ................................................................................................................................. 57 Var Lee .............................................................................................................................. 58 Say ..................................................................................................................................... 59 Christie .............................................................................................................................. 60 Gre Bin .............................................................................................................................. 61 Win Win ............................................................................................................................ 62 Mint Aye............................................................................................................................ 63 Poe Dah Bue ...................................................................................................................... 64 Textural
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