Children of Refugees : Aspirations, social and economic lives, identity and transnational linkages

Addressing an important gap in the literature, this research project aims to explore the lives of the European born adult children of refugees. The research will explore the followingquestions: What have been and are the educational and employment experiences of thisgroup? How do they compare with their parents and with other ethnic minorities in thecountry of residence? What are their transnational linkages? How do they express ideas ofbelonging and aspirations for the future? How do they reflect on their refugee backgrounds as shaping their lives? How does the city and national contexts influence children of refugeesparticipation and access to education, employment, belonging and inter-cultural relations?

Research will be carried out in three countries - Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom– to contextualize experiences within the wider policy and political arenas. Mixed methodsdrawn from different social science disciplines will be used to collect qualitative data from135 interviewees though in-depth interviews with the European born adult children of refugees from Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Including the same country of origin groups in each research site will enable more robust comparisons of the national and local contexts and the policy environments.

This research will lead to theoretical developments across social science disciplines, anengagement with policy and practice stakeholders and it will help to inform service delivery through collaboration with NGO partners.