Linguistic ethnography: an approach for forced migration and integration research? Examples from Luxembourg

This paper outlines the core contributions that linguistic ethnography (LE) can make to the study of forced migration and integration. LE is an interpretative approach that combines the principles and methods of ethnography with a close analysis of linguistic data to generate insights into the workings of the social world. It thus offers an alternative to empiricist- positivist approaches and the associated quantitative survey methods. The paper starts with an overview of the literature examining the complex interrelationships between language, migration and integration. It then offers a basic outline of LE and discusses some potential areas for research and application. It concludes with specific examples from a two-year LE research project that addressed the impact of multilingualism on forced migrants’ trajectories in Luxembourg

‘He was obliged to seek refuge’: an illustrative example of a cross-language interview analysis

This paper provides one of the first inquiries into the interactional dynamics of an interpreter-mediated research encounter. All spoken interactions – that is, originals and real-time translations produced in a multilingual interview conducted with a Syrian refugee – were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim using conversation analysis notation, retranslated and collaboratively analysed from three major perspectives: common language, equivalence, and loss and gain in translation. A stimulated recall interview, field notes and audio-recorded work sessions documenting our interpretative practices complement the data. Fixing our analytical gaze on the minute details of language use across English–Arabic allowed for a novel inquiry into specific moments of meaning making, role performances and rapport building in qualitative interviewing. Our examples illustrate how an agreed-on sense of the source meaning is established not only during the interview itself, but also at the point of its multilingual representation and analysis

Trust amongst refugees in resettlement settings: A systematic scoping review and thematic analysis of the literature

Trust is of particular relevance to refugee populations, given the adverse, often protracted and liminal nature of the refugee journey. What trust means, how it shapes and is shaped by this journey is crucially important for this population group and it can vary substantially. The extent, range and nature of research activity in this area is limited, this article therefore reports on a systematic scoping review that explored trust amongst refugees and asylum seekers in resettlement settings. Studies were included if they were primary research and explored trust amongst refugees and asylum seekers in a resettlement context and excluded if trust was not a major focus of the study (i.e., a number of studies were excluded that explored related concepts, such as social capital), if the study did not identify participants as refugees or asylum seekers or the study examined trust in a transitory setting. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 24 studies remained, which were reviewed and analysed. 16 studies used qualitative methods, six used quantitative methods and one used mixed methods. Trust was presented as fundamentally relational, taking shape between and within refugees, asylum seekers and others. Trust was also presented as temporal and contextual, across refugee journeys, hardships experienced, and resettlement. A major theme was the fundamental need in resettlement for a restoration of lost or damaged trust

What works to facilitate displaced and refugee-background students’ access and participation in European higher education: results from a multilingual systematic review

This article reports the results of a systematic review on displaced and refugee-background students’ transitioning and (re-)integration into European higher education (HE). A total of 7082 studies have been assessed for eligibility in six languages. Forty-four empirical studies conducted in 14 countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) between 2014 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria. Evidence from these studies has been extracted, appraised for quality, and synthesised to advance our understanding of how best to support refugee-background students’ HE aspirations. The main contribution of this article is a comprehensive review of support measures and recommendations in nine key areas that were identified as having particular relevance for successful HE participation: recognition of qualifications, entry requirements, reach and relevance of educational offer, costs, precarity and vulnerability, language, transitioning and skills mismatch, resource poverty, and (un)welcoming environments. The reviewed evidence is relevant in varying degrees to higher education institutions across the EHEA and can inform the delivery of targeted responses to refugee-background students’ needs on both HE entry and throughout their educational journey. The article also exposes important knowledge gaps that should be prioritised in future research and highlights some common lessons regarding cross-sector collaboration, long-term planning and support, and the need for a continuous monitoring of student pathways. A novel aspect of this systematic review is also its multilingual search strategy which was designed to correct for the geographical bias toward research produced in Anglophone countries which is often a by-product of English-only search strategies in education research

Towards a repertoire-building approach: multilingualism in language classes for refugees in Luxembourg

This contribution examines how the diverse language resources that teachers and learners bring to the classroom can support the process of language learning. It draws on a range of linguistic ethnographic data collected at a French language course that was attended mostly by Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Luxembourg. Drawing on the analysis of multilingual interactional practices, the article sheds light on some of the opportunities for learning that emerged as a result of translation, translanguaging and receptive multilingualism. It discusses the relevance of these practices for building a repertoire of resources that enables forced migrants to communicate in multilingual contexts such as Luxembourg

El uso de cortometrajes en el aula de ELE: Una propuesta didáctica para el contexto multicultural de la India

This investigation examines the benefits of using short films as a medium for foreign language instruction, in particular, for Spanish teaching in the context of the multilingual and multicultural India. The main premise is that films constitute a valuable tool for Spanish classroom as they provide the learners with a varied real-life language and cultural input which may be difficult to receive otherwise in this non-Spanish-speaking environment. Moreover, the entertaining aspect of the short films definitely increases the students’ interest, motivation and participation in the class activities which, apart from improving their linguistic proficiency, language and communication skills, also contributes to the enrichment of their cultural competence. In addition to all this, an effective film-based language instruction could help promote intercultural attitudes and values like empathy, respect, flexibility and acceptance of cultural differences. Nevertheless, the use of motion pictures in this instructional context requires a meticulous process of selection to find audiovisual materials suitable for the Indian audience. This paper includes practical examples of classroom activities based on the use of "Una luz encendida" (Spain, 1999), a short film produced and directed by Alber Ponte, and the discussion of the results obtained with the students of the Centre of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Latin American Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi)

Transcribing (multilingual) voices: from fieldwork to publication

Several authors have argued in the past that transcribing is a political act: it involves judgements about how to represent voice in writing, what level of detail to choose, in which language(s) and for whom. This chapter provides an in-depth account of the processes and politics of multilingual transcribing. In reflexively analysing different transcript formats, it casts light on the complexities, challenges and opportunities that emerge in making collaborative decisions about the translation of speech to a written medium, as well as into other languages. The transcripts for the analysis have been pulled from a larger qualitative study on forced migrants’ linguistic integration. Special focus is thus given to transcripts that capture the sometimes unorthodox resources and mixed language practices of migrants, and to their reception in an interdisciplinary framework

The impact of health care strikes on patient mortality: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies

Objective This study sought to evaluate the impact of health care strike action on patient mortality. Data Sources EMBASE, PubMed CINAHL, BIOETHICSLINE, EconLit, WEB OF SCIENCE, and grey literature were searched up to December 2021. Study Design A systematic review and meta-analysis were utilized. Data Collection/Extraction Random-effects meta-analysis was used to compare mortality rate during strike versus pre- or post-strike, with meta-regression employed to identify factors that might influence the potential impact of strike action. Studies were included if they were observational studies that examined in-hospital/clinic or population mortality during a strike period compared with a control period where there was no strike action. Principal Findings Seventeen studies examined mortality: 14 examined in-hospital mortality and three examined population mortality. In-hospital studies represented 768,918 admissions and 7191 deaths during strike action and 1,034,437 admissions and 12,676 deaths during control periods. The pooled relative risk (RR) of in-hospital mortality did not significantly differ during strike action versus non-strike periods (RR = 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.63, 1.31, p = 0.598). Meta-regression also showed that mortality RR was not significantly impacted by country (p = 0.98), profession on strike (p = 0.32 for multiple professions, p = 0.80 for nurses), the duration of the strike (p = 0.26), or whether multiple facilities were on strike (p = 0.55). Only three studies that examined population mortality met the inclusion criteria; therefore, further analysis was not conducted. However, it is noteworthy that none of these studies reported a significant increase in population mortality attributable to strike action. Conclusions Based on the data available, this review did not find any evidence that strike action has any significant impact on in-hospital patient mortality