Autobiographical Migration Narratives as Catalysts of Identity Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbeuropaea.2025.1.11Keywords:
diaspora, transnational families, assisted resilience, autobiographical narratives, qualitative interviews, community-based historiography, acculturation strategiesAbstract
This implemented pilot study articulates a comprehensive framework for “research, action, and training” designed to enhance migrants’ resilience through interventions assisted by diaspora community organizations. Drawing from both social psychology and political science, this research synthesizes the existing literature on assisted resilience, placing particular emphasis on the creation of autobiographical narratives as tools for bolstering cultural identity and self-actualization during the migrant integration process. By employing autobiographic qualitative interviews framed within a family intergenerational dialogue this investigation interrogates cultural identity transformation and resilience mechanisms, delineating protective factors that facilitate migrant integration, with a specific focus on the Romanian American diaspora in Minnesota. The discussions elucidate themes of cultural shock, the interplay between assimilation and integration, language acquisition as a vehicle for cultural retention, and the multifaceted nature of belonging within host societies. Participants' reflections on the complexities of acculturation underscore how familial dialogues can shape perceptions of belonging and construct identity narratives that serve immediate contextual needs. The findings advocate for community-based historiography projects that leverage narrative methodologies to foster resilience, combat social marginalization, and enhance civic engagement. This article emphasizes the critical importance of culturally sensitive mechanisms in promoting narrative construction to strengthen familial bonds and establish supportive diaspora networks in increasingly polarized host societies.
References
1. American Immigration Council (2022), Labor Market Forecast 2022, https://data.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/en/labor-market-forecast-2022/.
2. Anderson, Benedict (1998), The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and the World. London: Verso.
3. Arends-Tóth, Bianca; Van de Vijver, Fons J. R. (2006), “Issues in the Conceptualization and Assessment of Acculturation”, International Journal of Intercultural Relations 30, no. 1, 67-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.07.002.
4. Atkinson, Robert (1998), The Life Story Interview, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
5. Berry, John W. (1980), “Acculturation as Varieties of Adaptation” in Acculturation: Theory, Models and Some New Findings, edited by A. M. Padilla, Boulder, CO: Westview, 9-25.
6. Berry, John W. (2005), “Acculturation: Living Successfully in Two Cultures”, International Journal of Intercultural Relations 29, no. 6, 697-712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.07.013.
7. Castro, F. G.; Murray, K. E. (2010), “Cultural Adaptation and Resilience: Controversies, Issues, and Emerging Models”, in Handbook of Adult Resilience, edited by J. W. Reich, A. J. Zautra, and J. S. Hall, New York: The Guilford Press, 375-403.
8. Chen, Xinyin; French, Doran C.; Li, Jin (2008), “Culture and Adolescent Development”, in Handbook of Adolescent Psychology, edited by Richard M. Lerner and Laurence Steinberg, 3rd ed., Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 3-45.
9. Ciaramella, M.; Monacelli, N.; Cocimano, L.C.E. (2022), “Promotion of Resilience in Migrants: A Systematic Review of Study and Psychosocial Intervention”, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 24, 1328-1344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01247-y.
10. Constant, Amelie; Gataullina, Liliya; Zimmermann, Klaus F. (2009), “Ethnosizing Immigrants”, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 69, no. 3, 274-287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2008.10.005.
11. Cox, T. H., S. A. Lobel, and P. L. McLeod (1991), “Effects of Ethnic Group Cultural Differences on Cooperative and Competitive Behavior on a Group Task”, Academy of Management Journal 34, no. 4, 827–847. https://doi.org/10.2307/256391.
12. Devos, Sarah et al. (2024), “At Risk or Resilient? Examining the Effects of Having a Migration Background on Mental and Social Wellbeing Outcomes Amongst Adolescents”, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 29, no. 1, 2395388, https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2024.2395388.
13. Diminescu, Dana (2008), “The Connected Migrant: An Epistemological Manifesto”, Social Science Information 47, no. 4, 565-579. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018408096447.
14. Elias, Alexa; Brown, Adam D. (2022), “The Role of Intergenerational Family Stories in Mental Health and Wellbeing”, Frontiers in Psychology 13, 927795. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.927795.
15. Friborg, O. et al. (2003), “Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) [Database record]” APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t07443-000.
16. Gatt, Justine M. et al. (2019), “Trauma, Resilience, and Mental Health in Migrant and Non-Migrant Youth: An International Cross-Sectional Study Across Six Countries”, Frontiers in Psychiatry 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00997.
17. Gherghina, Sergiu; Mokre, Monika; Mișcoiu, Sergiu (2025), The Non-Participation of Ethnic Minorities and Migrants in Representative and Deliberative Democracy, Identities, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2025.2470019.
18. Harris, C. B.; Rasmussen, A. S.; Berntsen, D. (2014), “The Functions of Autobiographical Memory: An Integrative Approach”, Memory 22, no. 5, 559-581. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2013.806555.
19. Harris, Kathleen Mullan; Chen, Ping (2023), “The Acculturation Gap of Parent–Child Relationships in Immigrant Families: A National Study”, Family Relations 72, no. 4, 1748-1772. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12760.
20. Hjemdal, O., et al. (2006), “A New Scale for Adolescent Resilience: Grasping the Central Protective Resources Behind Healthy Development”, Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development 39, no. 2, 84-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2006.11909791.
21. Hommey, Confidence et al. (2020), “The Moderating Effect of Acculturation Strategies on the Relationship Between Newcomer Adjustment and Employee Behavior”, Frontiers in Psychology 11, 2117. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02117.
22. Ionescu, Șerban (2013), Tratat de reziliență asistată, Editura Trei.
23. Juang, L. P.; Syed, M. (2019), “The Evolution of Acculturation and Development Models for Understanding Immigrant Children and Youth Adjustment”, Child Development Perspectives 13, 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12346.
24. Kupchan, Charles A. (2020), Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World, New York: Oxford University Press.
25. Leurs, Koen; Ponzanesi, Sandra (2018), “Connected Migrants: Encapsulation and Cosmopolitanization”, Popular Communication 16, no. 1, 4-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2017.1418359.
26. Lytle, Ashley (2018), “Intergroup Contact Theory: Recent Developments and Future Directions”, Social Justice Research 31, 374-385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-018-0314-9.
27. Mișcoiu, Sergiu (2006), “Is There a Model for the Political Representation of the Romanian Roma?”, Sfera Politicii, no. 123-124, 78-90.
28. Mișcoiu, Sergiu; Mitru, Bettins; Gherghina, Sergiu (2024), “Migrants away from the polls: explaining the absenteeism of people with sub-Saharan African origins in the 2022 French presidential elections”. Identities, 2024, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2023.2298576.
29. Oerlemans, W. G. M.; Peeters, M. C. W. (2010), “The Multicultural Workplace: Interactive Acculturation and Intergroup Relations”, Journal of Managerial Psychology 25, no. 5, 460–478. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941011048373.
30. Panter-Brick, C. (2015), “Culture and Resilience: Next Steps for Theory and Practice”, in Youth Resilience and Culture, edited by L. Theron, L. Liebenberg, and M. Ungar, 233-244, vol. 11 of Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9415-2_17.
31. Pew Research Center (2024), “U.S. Immigrant Population in 2023 Saw Largest Increase in More Than 20 Years”, Pew Research Center, September 27, 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/27/u-s-immigrant-population-in-2023-saw-largest-increase-in-more-than-20-years/.
32. Raghavan, S.; Sandanapitchai, P. (2024), “The Relationship Between Cultural Variables and Resilience to Psychological Trauma: A Systematic Review of the Literature”, Traumatology 30, 1, 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000239.
33. Resilience Research Center (2009), Research the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM).
34. Ricoeur, Paul (1991), From Text to Action: Essays in Hermeneutics II, Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
35. Sætren, Sjur S. et al. (2019), “A Multilevel Investigation of Resiliency”, Frontiers in Psychology 10, 438. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00438.
36. Seewann, Lena (2022), “My Values, Their Values: How Value Conceptualisations Influence Attitudes Towards Immigration”, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 48, no. 9, 2091–2114. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2021.2004100
37. Sutton, A. (2023), “Autobiographical Memory Functions in the Recall of Authentic Moments”, Current Psychology 42, 29473–29480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03997-w.
38. Terrana, A.; Al-Delaimy, W. (2023), “A Systematic Review of Cross-Cultural Measures of Resilience and Its Promotive and Protective Factors”, Transcultural Psychiatry 60, no. 4, 733–750. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615231167661.
39. Ungar, Michael (2008), “Resilience across Cultures”, The British Journal of Social Work 38, no. 2, 218-235. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcl343
40. UNICEF (2019), “Romania Country Office Annual Report 2019,” New York: UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/media/90171/file/Romania-2019-COAR.pdf.
41. Watson, Warren E.; Kumar, Kamalesh; Michaelsen, Larry K. (2002), “Cultural Diversity’s Impact on Interaction Process and Performance: Comparing Homogeneous and Diverse Task Groups”, Academy of Management Journal 45, no. 5, 1036-1049.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Studia Europaea
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
