"What About the Next Generation That's Coming?": The Recontextualization of Mothering Post-Refugee Resettlement

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis was to explore the recontextualization of mothering in Karen refugees from Burma. We collected ethnographic data over an 11-month period with a cohort of 12 Karen women postresettlement. Using Spradley's and tools of critical discourse analysis, we interpreted the migration narratives of women, in particular, experiences they shared as mothers. These narratives were grounded in the space of cultural difference; thus, we engaged hybridity as a theoretical frame. Findings reflect the negotiation of mothering practices within the norms, structures, and policies of the country of resettlement. We identified the spaces of transformation a woman constructed to usher change while sustaining a connection between herself, her culture, and her children.