ABSTRACT

Refugee resettlement organizations hope that, by acting as intercultural mediators who navigate multiple cultural perspectives and translate them for others, volunteers will foster reciprocal adaptation by refugees and host nationals. However, intercultural mediation is challenging when divergent cultural frameworks generate discomfort or misunderstanding. Based on interviews with refugee resettlement volunteers, this study documents how volunteers positioned themselves in their narratives of interactions with and about refugees and how they attributed authority about what constituted appropriate cultural practices. Analysis of the varied “self” positions that volunteers adopted reveals that even motivated, knowledgeable individuals who want to respect diversity may inadvertently hinder adaptation.

摘要

难民安置组织希望，通过充当跨文化调解人，他们能够导航多种文化观点并将其翻译为他人，志愿者将促进难民和东道国国民的相互适应。但是，当不同的文化框架产生不适感或误解时，跨文化调解将面临挑战。基于对难民安置志愿者的采访，本研究记录了志愿者如何将自己置于与难民互动以及关于难民互动的叙事中，以及他们如何对构成适当文化习俗的权力给予归属。对志愿者所采用的多种多样的“自我”立场的分析表明，即使是那些愿意尊重多样性的积极进取，知识渊博的人，也可能无意间阻碍了适应。