Fighting back, moving forward: Refugee women's agency in stories of resistance and resilience

Abstract

Abstract This article introduces a novel framework for understanding refugee agency, exemplified through the experiences of refugee women across three stages and (geographical and symbolic) places: in countries of asylum, in forced migration, and in asylum. Based on 24 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with refugee women residing in Portugal, the article challenges prevailing approaches that primarily focus on refugees' efforts to change their circumstances. Instead, it advocates for conceptualizing refugee women's agency as both an emancipatory resistance against oppressive structures (resistance) and an adaptive ability to act within these constraints (resilience). In understanding resistance, the article prompts researchers to investigate how refugee women actively confront and challenge oppressive structures, advocating for an emancipatory approach that goes beyond conventional analyses of refugees seeking to change their circumstances. Conversely, the adaptive dimension of agency, framed as resilience, invites scholars to explore the resourcefulness and creative strategies employed by refugee women within the confines of these oppressive structures. This enriched perspective not only contributes to academic discourse but also provides practical insights for policymakers and humanitarian practitioners aiming to better support and empower refugee women in their daily lives.