The capacity to aspire among Rwandan urban refugee women in Yaoundé, Cameroon DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Kelly Ann Yotebieng Graduate Program in Anthropology The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee: Anna Willow, Adviser Jennifer L. Syvertsen, co-chair Barbara Piperata Mark Moritz Kendra McSweeney Copyrighted by Kelly Ann Yotebieng 2019 Abstract The overall goal of this dissertation is to shed light on how a growing population of urban refugee women recursively rebuild their lives and communities after conflict and displacement. This includes the aspirations, situated within their socio-cultural contexts that drive their decisions and subsequent actions. To do this, using the capacity to aspire theoretical framework (Appadurai, 2004; Bok, 2010), I build a conceptual model (see Figure 1) to analyze the links between hope, aspirations, context, strategies, and constraints among Rwandan refugees, with a focus on women. Within the substantial literature on the political economy of hope (Bourdieu et al., 1999; Hage, 2003, 2016) and the capacity to aspire (Appadurai, 2004; Bok, 2010), household-level dynamics are notably absent. Linked with socio-cultural norms, for mothers in particular aspirations often hinge on shared visions of children’s futures, and these mothers are often the first to forego their needs to allow these desired futures to come to fruition. My dissertation research emphasizes the need to study the links between women’s aspirations and strategies through a lens that includes both agency, and their socio- cultural constraints. Several themes emerged over the course of my research. The first theme that emerged is that strategies, even those which outsiders may label as “risky”, are often justified by the person undertaking the action if there is an imagined possibility for a better future. These strategies are often linked to potentially life changing scenarios for children in the household, and in part determined by socio-cultural expectations and ii access to various forms of capital by women. A second broad theme that emerged across households in this study were the dyads and triads, or sub-units that exist within households. These sub-units were linked to the sentiment that as their adult children got older, many mothers began to feel that they were becoming a burden or hindrance to their children’s being able to achieve their desired futures. This in turn affected mothers’ strategies and priorities. The third broad theme that emerged from my data was the idea that hope for the future was a way of coping with uncertainty and the challenges of the present. Hope was fueled and bolstered by faith and access to capital, which also in turn were vital to coping with challenges and necessary transgressions required to pursue the aspirations stemming from my research participants’ hope. Linked with this, even as the situation in the present became increasingly difficult, many households would continue to devise alternative visions for the future. Taking Appadurai’s (2004) capacity to aspire theoretical framework in novel directions, in this dissertation I analyze the aspirations and strategies of Rwandan Hutu urban refugee women in Yaoundé, Cameroon through a conceptual model (Figure 1) that explores the relationships between insider aspirations and patterns in strategies and household organization. This dissertation also engages the analytical approach of practice theory to explore the socio-cultural expectations and norms that affect aspirations, access to various forms of capital, and practice. My principal research question asks: How do socio-cultural contexts and challenges of systemic disempowerment affect women household members’ capacity to aspire? I use an ethnographic approach (semi-structured interviews and participant observation) to examine: iii a) What are the aspirations for the future of different urban Rwandan refugee household members? How do these differ or overlap between women and their children? b) In what ways do practices towards achieving these aspirations change in the context of challenges? How are these influenced by access to capital and socio- cultural expectations of women? This dissertation is based on 12 months of fieldwork which was conducted over 3 years (2016-2018). The data generated were qualitatively analyzed using an open-coding scheme, identifying the three above-referenced broad themes that emerged from the data to provide perspectives on the capacity to aspire of Rwandan refugee women situated within their broader social, political, and emotional contexts. I illustrate these links through the presentation of in-depth case studies. Turmoil in the Central Africa region has led to over 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers arriving over the past several decades in Cameroon, the safe haven of the Central Africa region (UNHCR, 2016). Refugees are often perceived by outsiders as illustrations of social suffering, but their situations also demonstrate resilience and hope in their ability to endure extreme hardship in chaotic urban environments. A better understanding of hope and practice that lead to desired outcomes of refugees within growing urban centers in developing countries is imperative to inform programs aimed at bolstering their resilience that humanitarian agencies are still grappling to design. This is especially important to ensure that gendered disparities are not inadvertently exacerbated in designing these programs. In this dissertation, I demonstrate the transformative potential iv of the powerful, but under-utilized, capacity to aspire framework to build a conceptual model that examines the aspirations and relevant constraints in achieving them of urban refugees, and discuss how this framework can be used to devise strategies that bolster refugees’ hope by meaningfully supporting them in addressing the challenges towards achieving their aspirations. v This dissertation is dedicated to the many strong and endlessly hopeful women that I have met through my work and research that continue to inspire me every single day, to the Rwandan refugee community fighting for their right to the international protection which their refugee status provides as they live in exile across Africa, and to my Marcel, Vincent-James, and Ruphine who were flexible and supportive in allowing me to be absent for extended periods of time to complete this dissertation. vi Acknowledgments Firstly, I am forever appreciative of the guidance and support of my advisors Anna Willow and Jennifer Syvertsen throughout this journey. They are both sources of inspiration, wisdom, and strong women social scientist role-models that I will continue to strive to emulate moving forward. I am grateful for the generous support provided to me that allowed me to complete this research from the Fulbright Institute of International Education U.S. Student Program, the United States Institute of Peace’s Jennings Randolph Peace Scholars Program, the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Graduate Students Program (Grant 60054966), the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at the Ohio State University, the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University, the Coca-Cola-Critical Difference for Women Grants for Research on Women, Gender and Gender Equity, the Ohio State Department of Anthropology’s Elizabeth A. Salt award, the Josaphat Bekunru Kubayanda Scholarship, the Marianna Russell Technology Grant, and the Ohio State University’s Global Gateways Grant. I am equally appreciative for the feedback and support from Dr. Paschal Kum Awah with the University of Yaoundé I for his continual guidance and support related to doing research in Cameroon, and for his students for wholeheartedly accepting me into the Kum-Awah Research Group. I am also deeply indebted to my committee members for their constructive criticism, encouragement, and vii personal and professional support over my years in the Ohio State University Department of Anthropology’s Ph.D. program. Returning to school after so many years in the field was an enormous challenge, but it was thanks to you, my mentors, that every minute was worthwhile. Thank you for the confidence you placed in me and the opportunities that you provided me. viii Vita 2000................................................................Lake Mary High School 2003................................................................B.A. Anthropology, Univ. of South Florida 2006................................................................M.P.H. International Health, Tulane Univ. 2003-2015 ......................................................Global Public Health Professional 2015-2018 .....................................................Graduate Research/Teaching Associate, Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University 2018 to present ..............................................Presidential Fellow, The Ohio State University Publications Yotebieng, K; Syvertsen, JL; Awah, P. (2018). Cessation clauses, uncertain futures, and wellbeing among Rwandan urban refugees in Cameroon. Journal of Refugee Studies, fey037. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fey037 Yotebieng, K; Awah, P; Syvertsen, JL. (2018). “Is resilience possible when you are out of place?” An ethnography of resilience among urban refugees in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Journal of Refugee Studies, fey023. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fey023 ix