Liberian Refugee Women's Personal Narratives on the Effects of War on Motherhood

<p>One major effect of displacement by war and subsequently living in a refugee</p><p>camp is the disruption of the social, cultural, economic and legal institutions of</p><p>communities; this affects parenting and a child's development. Few research studies</p><p>address the effects of war, political upheaval, and displacement on parenting, specifically</p><p>the experience of motherhood and the cultural socialization process of children. Yet, most</p><p>research points at the undeniable connection between social and cognitive competence</p><p>and the social and physical context, with changes in these contexts influencing the</p><p>competencies parents' inculcate in their children. Furthermore,</p><p>there is sparse literature focusing specifically on African refugees' experiences prior to</p><p>resettlement in the U.S. Moreover, available data and research often fails to separate</p><p>African refugees by country of origin and subsumes their unique backgrounds and</p><p>experiences necessitating further inquiry and understanding of this population.</p><p>To address these gaps, this phenomenological study utilized the narratives of four</p><p>African refugee mothers from Liberia to further our understanding of how displacement</p><p>by war affects mothers' beliefs about childhood, and the social and cognitive</p><p>competencies they desired and inculcated in their children raised in a refugee camp.</p><p>Through narrative inquiry, this study also focused on participants' experiences as women</p><p>and mothers during this time of displacement from their respective communities.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Child Development

Year dc:date.available

2013

Author dc:creator

• Kimondo, Florence Wanjiru

• African
• Cultural socialization
• Liberian
• Motherhood
• Refugees
• War
• Social Work

Repository record dc:identifier

https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/524

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ecommons.luc.edu:luc_diss-1523