Beginning in Multiple Midst: Living Alongside in Narrative Inquiry

Area of Science:

• Qualitative Research Methods
• Sociology of Migration
• Narrative Inquiry

Background:

• Narrative inquiry often relies on fragmented field texts.
• Understanding refugee experiences requires deeper contextualization.
• Previous research may overlook the complexity of lived experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of multiple, nested contexts in narrative inquiry.
• To illustrate how field texts reflect interwoven social, institutional, and cultural narratives.
• To explore the complexities of refugee experiences through a contextual lens.

Main Methods:

• A 4-year ethnographic study with Syrian refugee families.
• Analysis of field texts situated within multiple contexts.
• Focus on "living in the midst" of diverse influences.

Main Results:

• Field texts are deeply embedded in social, institutional, and cultural narratives.
• Each moment reflects a complex interplay of relationships, domestic details, and silences.
• Acknowledging nested contexts reveals the plurality of embedded experiences.

Conclusions:

• Attending to "living in the midst" enriches narrative inquiry.
• Understanding refugee experiences necessitates a holistic, contextual approach.
• This framework allows for contemplation of perplexities within unfolding lives.