Understanding Civic Identity, Rights, and Belonging among Resettled Refugee and Recent Immigrant Students in the U.S.

Globalization and global migration pose a challenge to state-centered conceptions of citizenship and the promotion of global human rights. Despite the rise in mass displacement globally, we know very little about how schools teach about citizenship and rights to students who have recently arrived in the U.S. Dr. Russell is examining notions of citizenship, rights, and belonging among refugee and newcomer immigrant students through a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology in schools across two diverse social contexts New York and Arizona. Drawing on survey, interview, and observation data, the study explores the following questions How do recently arrived refugee and immigrant students understand concepts of civic identity, rights, and belonging and how do their understandings differ? And to what extent does the social context of schools and communities shape the civic experience of these youth? Understanding civic identity and the sense of belonging among newly arrived refugee and immigrant youth will provide evidence on the extent to which schools are promoting identification with an inclusive civic culture and the important differences or similarities across these groups. ,