Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the difficulties in changing the common narrative of refugees from one of hardship to one of happiness and why this focus on thriving may not appeal to the refugees themselves.

Paper long abstract:

My aim in this research was to critique the popular narrative of refugees: poor, traumatized, broken spirits, unable to defend or stand up for themselves. Instead, I wanted to take the common narrative of refugees and examine the other side of human experience: what makes refugees happy? How do they, rather than just survive, actively thrive in their environment? How do they look after and keep themselves well? It seems like this opportunity to offer this narrative to an outsider would be a welcome break for refugees living in The Gambia. During December 2015 and February 2016, there were no fewer than three focus groups all based on the hardships that refugees face by virtue of their status; this was in addition to individual interviews assessing whether they were worthy of refugee status to begin with and whether their story could warrant a case for resettlement. Over the course of my research, it became clear that I was not easily separated from UNHCR staff; this created a very unequal power relationship between me and the teller. The informal chats were often at odds with the narrative interview; people had a vested interest in telling the popular narrative of hardship and struggle during the interview in the hopes that I could somehow further their case for resettlement. This brings me to my main point: What happens when you are asking for a story that people don't want to tell? How can these narratives still be meaningful?