Abstracts
Abstract
This paper sheds light on experiences within systems of US resettlement and its structures of (un)welcome. There is considerable evidence that the policy framework of these systems complicates the possibilities of higher education for refugees. Drawing on interviews with residents with a refugee background and resettlement service providers, we explore how US refugee resettlement policy creates obstacles for refugees in pursuing higher education and professional work by imposing a particular regimentation of time on refugees’ lives that impels them to rapidly integrate into low-income employment markets. We argue that such a time politics of speed hastens the resettlement process to advance the goal that residents with refugee background obtain rapid economic self-sufficiency and discuss the policy implications.
Keywords:
- Higher education for refugees,
- refugee resettlement,
- time politics,
- United States
Résumé
Cet article met en lumière les expériences vécues dans le cadre des systèmes de réinstallation aux États-Unis et de leurs structures d’accueil et de non-accueil. Il est largement démontré que le cadre politique de ces systèmes complique l’accès à l’éducation supérieure pour les réfugiés. En s’appuyant sur des entretiens avec des résidents d’origine réfugiée et des prestataires de services de réinstallation, nous explorons la manière dont la politique américaine de réinstallation des réfugiés crée des obstacles à la poursuite d’études supérieures et à l’exercice d’une activité professionnelle en imposant aux réfugiés un régime temporel particulier qui les oblige à s’intégrer rapidement dans les marchés de l’emploi à faible revenu. Nous soutenons qu’une politique temporelle de la vitesse accélère le processus de réinstallation afin que les résidents arrivés en tant que réfugiés (Residents with Refugee Background) atteignent une autosuffisance économique rapide et discutons de ce que cela implique au niveau des politiques publiques.
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