ABSTRACT

Eighty million people are on the move internationally because of war, famine and oppression. Many countries are welcoming refugees within their borders, including the United States. Of those who receive asylum through the United States, Utah receives, houses, supports, and relocates approximately 1,700 international refugees each year from many different regions and countries. Most refugee research has focused on health care and interview or survey methods. However, each method privileges, as well as excludes, certain kinds of information. This chapter, using interviews with eight newly arrived refugee women from a variety of circumstances, countries, and cultures, will compare the benefits and drawbacks of narrative analysis, small stories, grounded theory and phenomenological methods to aid in understanding refugee research.