This thesis examines the impact of forced migration on the construction of ethnolinguistic identity among Syrian and Iraqi late adolescent girls who were resettled in Australia between 2015 and 2019. Employing a narrative inquiry approach, the study explores the life stories of six young women, focusing on their journeys before displacement, in transit, and after resettlement in Australia. Based on their lived experiences, it addresses the realities of becoming a refugee and the challenges encountered throughout the resettlement process. The thesis is crafted and presented in a narrative style that intertwines the author’s experiences of migration with the stories of the young women. It situates their experiences within the broader sociopolitical context, outlining how the Syrian Civil War and the War on Iraq have led to large numbers of forcibly displaced individuals seeking settlement in Western nations.

The literature review reveals a gap in empirical research regarding the lived experiences of these groups, particularly adolescent girls, as they navigate the challenges of adolescence and identity formation. Much of the existing research focuses primarily on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of refugee youth, often framing their lives within the “extraordinary aspects” of the refugees’ journey, which are perceived as the “standard” experiences of immigrant and refugee youth. This tendency to standardise experiences is further corroborated by a systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) that highlights a general tendency to homogenise the experiences of immigrant and refugee youth. The SQLR identified a key area for further investigation: understanding the experiences of belonging and non-belonging among recently arrived youth.

A narrative inquiry methodology was employed to collect and analyse the stories of the six young refugee women involved in this study. This methodology shaped how data were collected, presented, and analysed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, written and artistic reflections by the participants, and a researcher’s diary. The stories of these young women, detailing their experiences of forced migration, ethnolinguistic identity construction, settlement, and belonging in Australia, are presented across two chapters. The narratives cover various stages of their lives: early childhood (pre-forced migration), witnessing war and becoming forcibly displaced as older children and early adolescents (during forced migration), and arriving in Australia as humanitarian entrants (post-forced migration).

To conduct a thorough narrative analysis, I employed ethnolinguistic identity theory and belonging theory to story their experiences. Ethnolinguistic identity theory facilitated an examination of language and cultural practices, shedding light on how identity is formed and how young women negotiate their sense of self amid the implications of forced migration. The young women described their experiences as they confronted the horrors of becoming refugees, faced the uncertainties in refugee camps, and encountered challenges in Australia. This analysis uses concepts from Communication Accommodation Theory and Acculturation theory to examine participants’ narratives as they construct and reconstruct their ethnolinguistic identity before, during, and after forced migration. The thesis highlights how the girls’ ethnic, linguistic, religious, and gender identities intersect and interact, influencing their sense of self.

Belonging theory is also applied through an examination of the politics of belonging, focusing on how the participants were positioned as new arrivals in Australian schools and society. Utilising conceptual tools like boundary maintenance and Othering, the analysis reveals that the girls were positioned along axes of power that rendered them less deserving of recognition and respect. This positioning is juxtaposed within the context of ‘multicultural’ Australian society, illustrating the young women’s daily efforts to gain acceptance and inclusion. A central aspect of their sense of belonging involved an ongoing struggle, effort, and emotional labour to belong and maintain their uniqueness.

The thesis demonstrates that these young women experience identity reconstruction as a dynamic and multifaceted process shaped by their past and present experiences. They navigate a continuous process of ethnolinguistic identity negotiation. However, their efforts were rarely recognised in an environment that expects them to “integrate” rapidly, with little recognition of their prior experiences of forced displacement and their daily efforts to belong. While they may appear resilient, the study challenges the glorification of their resilience as a ‘favoured’ narrative in Australian society. Emphasis throughout is on representing both the diversity of the participants—and the need to resist simplistic representations of ‘refugee girls’—and the profound impact of forced migration on the lives of young adolescents. An impact that makes specific demands of educators in Australia who strive to create environments that genuinely and respectfully include, value, and celebrate these young women in their new homes.