Researching the Political and Civic Engagement of Somali Refugees in the U.S. South Using Semi-Structured Interviews

Abstract

Once resettled in the United States, refugees must begin integrating into a new, and possibly different society with new customs to navigate. Although many aspects of resettled refugees’ lives in the United States have been examined, such as their mental and physical health, and money they send back home called remittances, scholarship on the civic and political engagement of refugees in the United States is limited. To begin closing this gap, obtaining original data from, and on refugees, is paramount, which is where this methods case study is situated. This case examines the process of generating and using semi-structured interviews in a comparative case study anchored in participatory action research with resettled African refugees to examine their political and civic engagement in the United States. The components of this case are applicable to various disciplines and research about diverse cultures, as well as vulnerable and marginalized populations.

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