Vulnerability and the subjective future imaginaries of young refugees living in reception centres in Luxembourg

Scientific Conference (2023, August 02)

Vulnerability is a term often discussed in relation to the movement and settlement of refugees. In policies and practices of reception, vulnerability is used as a tool to direct services and aid toward ... [more ▼]

Vulnerability is a term often discussed in relation to the movement and settlement of refugees. In policies and practices of reception, vulnerability is used as a tool to direct services and aid toward ‘vulnerable refugees’ but also to justify increasingly hostile migration policies toward those who are not deemed ‘vulnerable enough’. Yet, as a concept a systematic definition of vulnerability is missing and multiple understandings are often implicitly employed in scientific literature and policies. Thus, the objective of the current study was to explore how vulnerability, articulated as an embedded, multi-layered and dynamic analytical concept, may aid our understanding of the lived experiences of a group of potentially ‘vulnerable’ migrants, based on contextual conditions. Specifically, the talk will examine how conditions of structural, situational and experiential vulnerability may affect the subjective future imaginaries of young adults (18-30) who obtained refugee status in Luxembourg but still live in ‘temporary’ reception centres. Data were drawn from 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in the context of the H2020 project MIMY and were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that limited future educational and employment opportunities promote the structural vulnerability of this group, yet different levels of awareness and types of reactions to these limitations emerged. Moreover, episodes of discrimination, even if sporadic, can create conditions of situational vulnerability which strongly affected their future imaginaries. Finally, looking at the future some participants reported conditions of experiential vulnerability accompanied by feelings of uncertainty and difficulties in picturing their future. In conclusion, despite subjective differences in experiences and reactions, the precarious and disadvantageous position young refugees hold in the country, combined with their isolation in reception centres, promoted the vulnerability of this group and did have an impact on their outlook, plans, and ability to achieve their goals in the future. [less ▲]

The causes and consequences of vulnerability for young refugees building a life in Luxembourg: a critical phenomenological analysis

Scientific Conference (2023, July 12)

In the context of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’, the assessment of vulnerability has become a key tool to direct limited resources and assistance within a state of emergency. Its use in international aid ... [more ▼]

In the context of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’, the assessment of vulnerability has become a key tool to direct limited resources and assistance within a state of emergency. Its use in international aid and reception has been criticized as promoting the individualization of vulnerability rather than focusing on the socio-legal structures that create conditions of vulnerability. Yet, shifting the focus on the structural determinants of vulnerability risks ignoring the agentic power and subjective conditions of individuals within a ‘vulnerable’ group. Drawing from this debate, the current study proposes to focus on the phenomenological level as the space where the tension between structural constraints, contingent conditions, individual characteristics and subjective understandings plays out and where not only the causes but also the consequences of vulnerability may be more readily visible. The study focuses on a group of refugees who is in a particularly vulnerable position in the context of Luxembourg: young adults, who have obtained refugee status but still live in temporary reception centres. Drawing from 15 semi-structured interviews, the analysis set out firstly to explore how this group of young people understands and experiences vulnerability in their everyday lives. Secondly, adopting a critical phenomenological lens, their experiences are examined in their relation to the systems of inequalities permeating discourses and structures on migration and integration, including frameworks of emergency and crisis, and to their subjective views, ambitions and previous experiences. Finally, our participants’ reactions to these challenging experiences and their potential consequences for their future in the country are discussed. [less ▲]

The Vulnerability of Young Refugees Living in Reception Centres in Luxembourg: An Overview of Conditions and Experiences across Subjective Temporal Imaginaries

in Social Sciences (2023), 12(02),

Vulnerability has become a key concept in discourses and policies on international protection and reception of refugees. In this context, the notion has been described as a tool to provide special ... [more ▼]

Vulnerability has become a key concept in discourses and policies on international protection and reception of refugees. In this context, the notion has been described as a tool to provide special provisions to groups at higher risk or one to perpetuate political agendas within increasingly hostile reception systems. However, vulnerability as an analytical concept has received less attention, with both policymakers and scholars often employing different conceptualisations of vulnerability or treating it as a self-explanatory condition. Building on a previous conceptual elaboration, this paper sets out to apply an understanding of vulnerability as multi-layered, dynamic and embedded in a study of the lived experiences of a group of potentially ‘vulnerable’ migrants, based on ‘fixed’ contextual criteria. Drawing from in-depth interviews with young adults who obtained refugee status in Luxembourg but still live in ‘temporary’ reception centres, this paper provides a wide analytical overview of the conditions of vulnerability encountered by this specific group of migrants, in the process of building their lives in a new country. Following the participants’ subjective temporal imaginaries of past, present and future, the analysis highlights and problematises conditions of structural, situational and experiential vulnerability emerging from their accounts and experiences, and discusses their possible implications. [less ▲]

Der Einfluss der Covid-19-Pandemie auf Institutionen für ältere Menschen und Menschen mit Behinderungen in Luxemburg. Eine Surveystudie mit Bewohner/innen, Angehörigen, Personal und Leitungen

Report (2023)

Resilience and well-being of older people in times of crisis and beyond

Scientific Conference (2022, November 11)

Recent times have been characterized by a number of crises which can challenge the quality of life of older people. The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, has been disruptive for social participation and ... [more ▼]

Recent times have been characterized by a number of crises which can challenge the quality of life of older people. The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, has been disruptive for social participation and integration. While at the beginning of the pandemic, the sanitary measures were at the foreground and most effort was focused on containing the virus, it became soon clear that secondary effects of social distancing were putting at risk the subjective well-being and mental health of people around the globe. Older people were particularly concerned by social distancing measures as they were regarded a vulnerable group, irrespective of their heterogeneity. Social engagement is a main pillar of successful ageing (Rowe & Kahn, 2015) but opportunities for social activities and connectedness with others have been undermined during the pandemic. Interestingly and contrary to expectations, initial studies have shown that older people fared on average better than feared in the early months of the pandemic as they could draw on resources and resilience built over a life time. However, prolonged times of inactivity and social isolation can take a toll on mental and physical health of those older people who find it difficult to reconnect with others and to participate in social activities. In my talk, I will present findings from the FNR-funded CRISIS project on older people during the pandemic regarding “Correlates of Resilience In the context of Social Isolation in Seniors” as well as from the PAN-VAL project on active ageing in the context of cultural diversity in Luxembourg which was funded by the Ministry of Family and Integration, and I will make reference to the importance of intergenerational relations for the subjective well-being of (older) family members. In light of present and future societal challenges, I will finally discuss how geropsychology can make a contribution to ensure the quality of life of older people. [less ▲]

Etude PAN-VAL: le vieillissement actif dans le contexte de la diversité culturelle au Luxembourg

Scientific Conference (2022, October 05)

The Sense of belonging in the context of migration: Development and trajectories regarding Portuguese migrants in Luxembourg

in Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science (2022), online first

The sense of belonging can be defined as a highly subjective and dynamic feeling of acceptance, inclusion, and connectedness to a specific contextual entity. Perceiving belongingness to others is ... [more ▼]

The sense of belonging can be defined as a highly subjective and dynamic feeling of acceptance, inclusion, and connectedness to a specific contextual entity. Perceiving belongingness to others is positively related to psychological well-being, happiness, or higher self-esteem. The present contribution examined how the sense of belonging to spatial, social, and cultural entities evolves over the migration process of Portuguese first-generation migrants and their second-generation offspring residing in Luxembourg. The current study drew on the qualitative content analysis of ten semi-structured interviews, carried out with ten Portuguese migrant family dyads (one parent and one adult child per dyad). The results affirmed that the sense of belonging showed to be a complex and multi-faceted concept and highly shaped by specific contexts. The initially unfamiliar Luxembourgish context became a familiar setting and even a “home” over time. While the older generation presented noticeable belongingness to Luxembourg as a homeland, their affiliation to the Luxembourgish community and culture remained rather low. Simultaneously, they preserved a high connectedness to the Portuguese culture as well as to fellow Portuguese migrants living in the Grand Duchy. The younger generation expressed a much more pronounced attachment to Luxembourg, since they perceived belongingness to the Luxembourgish spatial, social, and (multi)cultural milieu. In addition to this, a certain affiliation to the Portuguese culture and language could be discerned. Although some factors, which might have contributed to this evolution, could be identified in the present study, one can assume that there are significantly more that have not been addressed yet. [less ▲]

Integration of young migrants in Luxembourg: A focus on social identity and intergroup processes

Scientific Conference (2022, August 26)

In the past years, more and more young migrants from third countries have arrived to Europe. While the economies of ageing European societies can profit from an influx of young people in their labour ... [more ▼]

In the past years, more and more young migrants from third countries have arrived to Europe. While the economies of ageing European societies can profit from an influx of young people in their labour market, the integration of young third-country nationals poses also challenges both to individuals and societies. The integration of young migrants is a dynamic process that encompasses developmental and adaptive processes at multiple levels and over time. In particular young migrants in vulnerable conditions might be at risk for social exclusion. In order to understand the factors that foster or hinder integration, it is therefore particularly important to analyze the ingroup-outgroup processes involved here from a societal, institutional and individual perspective. The present study is part of the larger EU-funded H2020 MIMY project (EMpowerment through liquid Integration of Migrant Youth in vulnerable conditions) which involves 13 multinational and interdisciplinary partners to study the integration processes of young non-EU migrants across 9 countries (Luxembourg, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Hungary). The MIMY project applies a mixed methods approach, including secondary data analysis as well as qualitative data from young migrants and their parents, from host society nationals and stakeholders through narrative, biographical and expert interviews as well as focus groups. For the present contribution, we will concentrate on qualitative data collected in Luxembourg. More precisely, drawing on focus group interviews regarding the challenges and resources in the integration processes of migrant youth, we will analyze here the ingroup-outgroup processes as described by migrant youth themselves as well as by migrant parents of adolescents/emerging adults living in Luxembourg. We will in particular identify processes of social identity, intergroup attitudes and patterns of social contact. Thereby, a special focus will be put on the experiences of social inclusion/exclusion and host societal attitudes toward migrants as experienced by our study participants. Our results will be discussed in relation to current integration policies, and ideas for an improvement of the situation of young migrants in Luxembourg and Europe will be formulated. [less ▲]

Multicultural conviviality in the context of active ageing in Luxembourg

Scientific Conference (2022, June)

Luxembourg’s population has not only become more culturally diverse in the past years but is also growing older. Almost 20 per cent of the total population of Luxembourg is over 60 years old, of which one ... [more ▼]

Luxembourg’s population has not only become more culturally diverse in the past years but is also growing older. Almost 20 per cent of the total population of Luxembourg is over 60 years old, of which one third are non-Luxembourgers. Active ageing can make an important contribution to the quality of life of older people and promote social inclusion, whereas the feeling of not belonging can be a psychological barrier to participation in activities. This was the starting point of the PAN-VAL project on active ageing of Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers, which was funded by the Luxembourg Ministry of Family and Integration and carried out in collaboration between a team from the University of Luxembourg and GERO – Kompetenzzenter fir den Alter. A total of N = 1000 people over 50 (51% women, 49% men) participated in a nationally representative online and telephone survey, and a number of n = 39 in-depth qualitative interviews were carried out with participants from four selected municipalities in different parts of the Grand Duchy: Differdange in the south, Mersch in the centre and Ettelbrück and Clervaux in the north. Based on our quantitative data, we will first present a model on the relations between sense of belonging, social inclusion, loneliness and participation in social activities. Drawing on our qualitative interviews, we will further analyze how the participants describe the processes how they developed a sense of belonging to the places they live in through mundane encounters with people from their municipalities and neighborhoods. We will also explore, how older people experience conviviality with regard to the offers for active ageing, focusing in particular on barriers and facilitators for participation in such offers. Policy implications and lessons learnt about how to adapt social offers to the diverse needs of an increasingly heterogeneous target group will be discussed. [less ▲]

Vulnerability in the Context of Migration: a Critical Overview and a New Conceptual Model

in Human Arenas (2022)

The notion of “vulnerability” occupies a central role in academic literature, policymaking, humanitarian debates, and everyday discourses on migration and asylum. Its popularity has led some academics and ... [more ▼]

The notion of “vulnerability” occupies a central role in academic literature, policymaking, humanitarian debates, and everyday discourses on migration and asylum. Its popularity has led some academics and practitioners to use “vulnerability” as a self-explanatory condition or phenomenon. However, a common and systematic understanding of the concept is still missing, and the moral and political meaning often ascribed to this notion may have (un)intended detrimental consequences for those migrants deemed vulnerable. Thus, this paper sets out to critically unpack and highlight the complexities hidden behind this notion in order to provide a conceptual analysis of vulnerability in the context of migration. We do so by (1) providing an overview of definitions of vulnerability across different fields of research, (2) identifying common conceptualizations or types of vulnerability and discussing their implications, and (3) highlighting possible negative societal and psychological consequences of its implementation in the context of migration. Finally, we propose (4) a new conceptual model for understanding vulnerability in the context of migration, showing how this notion can become a useful analytical tool in migration research. [less ▲]