‘Enjoying Time Alone’: Exploring Solitude as a Positive Space for Refugee Wellbeing

Abstract

Abstract In this article, I draw upon a participatory research project to explore how solitude enhanced a sense of place-attachment and wellbeing for former refugees in Aotearoa New Zealand. Solitude is overlooked in refugee resettlement research, which instead prioritizes theories of social participation and integration. However, positive experiences of aloneness enabled participants to freely regulate their emotions, express their identities, restructure their surroundings, and build meaningful place-attachments. Such emotionally transformative experiences are central to feeling well in new places, and I therefore argue that solitude requires researchers and policymakers’ attention as part of a more balanced resettlement approach; where the stressful work of social participation and integration are tempered with the necessary time and space for individuals to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate. In particular, resettling refugees could benefit from more research on the intersectional nuances of solitude and enhanced access to local knowledge, space, and resources to pursue meaningful solitary activities.