Refugee Resettlement in the United States

Emily M. Feuerherm is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at University of Michigan-Flint, USA. Her research interests include second language acquisition, language policy, citizenship and participatory action research.Vaidehi Ramanathan is Professor of Applied Sociolinguistics at University of California, Davis, USA. Her previous publications include Language Policies and (Dis)Citizenship: Rights, Access, Pedagogies (Multilingual Matters, 2013) and Bodies and Language: Health, Ailments, Disabilities (Multilingual Matters, 2009).

In an era of unprecedented forced migration, this book provides valuable and timely insights into how refugees in the US are impacted by the discourses, policy and education practices they encounter. The research-based chapters offer ways to rethink assumptions and ideologies surrounding refugees, so often positioned as victims and a burden on institutions. A readable and important book.

• 1. Emily Feuerherm: Introduction to Refugee Resettlement in the United States: Language, Policy, PedagogyPart I: Defining Refugees through Policy and Practice2. Bernadette Ludwig: The Different Meanings of the Word “Refugee”3. Ariel Loring: Positionings of Refugees, Aliens, and Immigrants in the Media4. Diana Camps: Restraining English Instruction for Refugee Adults in the United StatesPart II: Resettlement Practices and Effects on Education5. Emily Feuerherm: Building a Participatory Program for Iraqi Refugee Women and Families: Negotiating Policies and Pedagogies6. Tina Shrestha: Learning English, Speaking Hindi: The Paradox of (Language) Integration Among Nepalis in the United States7. Shawna Shapiro: A “Slippery Slope” Toward “Too Much Support”? Ethical Quandaries Among College Faculty/Staff Working with Refugee-Background Students8. Daisy Fredricks and Doris Warriner: “Talk English!” Refugee Youth and Policy Shaping in Restrictive Language Contexts9. Nora Tyeklar: The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Process: A Path to Self-Sufficiency or Marginalization?10. Cassie Leymarie: Language as a Fund of Knowledge: The Case of Mama Rita and Implications for Refugee Policy