Abstract

Forced migration as an object of study is predominantly associated with flows of populations rather than with movements of individuals with names (Pöyhönen & Simpson 2021). During the political turbulence of multicrisis, where identity inscriptions such as religion, ethnicity and gender are securitised, it is important to pay attention to the emic side of the stories and the lived experiences of individuals. Who are the persons who are fleeing from war-torn countries? How do their family relationships change from displacement to resettlement? In this talk I focus on one individual, Fatema, who has been living in Finland since 2015. Her story is derived from a linguistic ethnography carried out with Dr. Lotta Kokkonen and colleagues at a reception centre located in a rural Swedish-dominant region of Finland. I describe the changes and negotiations within Fatema’s close family relationships with her children and husband. I also look at meaningful turning points in these relationships to broaden the understanding of the changes in closeness and contribute to the knowledge of how and why such relationships grow, change, weaken, and are reconceptualised during dramatic life changes due to forced migration and over time.

biography:

Sari Pöyhönen is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Using linguistic ethnography, art-based research and narrative approaches, she focuses on individuals behind statistics and explores how their everyday interactions are embedded in wider cultural and political contexts and social structures. Her research projects include studies on everyday life and linguistic citizenship in forced migration settings; and artistic practices in performing and narrating (non)belonging.