‘That’s what they say in our language: one onion, all smell’: the impact of racism on the resettlement experiences of South Sudanese women in Australia

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the impact of negative media and political depictions of the South Sudanese community on the psychological health and well-being of women from the South Sudanese community in South Australia. Interviews revealed enduring experiences of racism and discrimination that had damaging effects on participants’ sense of identity, mental health, and hope for the future. Given the focus of media attention on South Sudanese youth, participants expressed considerable anxiety about their children and future generations. The ethical implications and moral obligations as well as the importance of participatory research methods when working with vulnerable populations are also discussed.

Dieser Artikel erörtert die Auswirkungen negativer Medienberichte und politischer Darstellungen der südsudanesischen Bevölkerungsgruppe auf die psychische Gesundheit und das Wohlbefinden von Frauen aus dieser Gruppe in Südaustralien. Die Interviews zeigten anhaltende Erfahrungen mit Rassismus und Diskriminierung, die sich nachteilig auf das Identitätgefühl, die psychische Gesundheit und die Hoffnung auf die Zukunft der Teilnehmer auswirkten. Angesichts des Fokus der Medien auf südsudanesische Jugendliche äußerten die Teilnehmer zudem beträchtliche Besorgnis über ihre Kinder und zukünftige Generationen. Die ethischen Auswirkungen und moralischen Verpflichtungen sowie die Bedeutung partizipativer Forschungsmethoden bei der Arbeit mit schutzbedürftigen Bevölkerungsgruppen werden ebenfalls erörtert.

KEYWORDS:

• South Sudanese
• women
• refugee
• racism
• media
• community-based participatory research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Rose Burford-Rice is a current Master of Clinical Psychology/PhD candidate in the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. Her research interests include refugee mental health, Indigenous mental health, and child psychology. She is also interested in cross-cultural psychology, social psychology and using participatory research methodologies. She is interested in integrating her research findings and experiences into her clinical practice. [email protected]

Martha Augoustinos is Professor of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. She has published widely in the field of social psychology and discourse, in particular on the nature of racial discourse in Australia. This has included an analysis of how Indigenous Australians are constructed in everyday conversation and political rhetoric. More recently this work has extended to discourse on asylum seekers and refugees. [email protected]

Clemence Due is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. Her research interests focus on child mental health, particularly in relation to young people with refugee and migrant backgrounds. She is also interested in developmental and cross-cultural psychology, primarily utilising mixed-methods, participatory research methodologies. [email protected]

ORCID

Rose Burford-Rice http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9842-9304

Martha Augoustinos http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7212-1499

Clemence Due http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6485-6076

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.