PhD defence B.J. (Barbara) van der Ent – van den Berg

Summary:

Every year, thousands of young people arrive in the Netherlands because they have had to flee their country of origin. Having left behind life as they had known it, they must become accustomed to a new, unfamiliar society. In this dissertation, Barbara van der Ent focuses on young, Syrian-born people (aged 8 to 17 years) who resettled in Rotterdam together with family members. It aims to understand how they rebuild their lives in Rotterdam and how this process is shaped by the four social contexts of family, peers, school and society.

Various innovative research methods were used to gain insights into youngsters’ perspectives, including focus groups in which a self-developed board game was used and repeated interviews with photo-elicitations. The study shows that, although the beginning was particularly challenging, in general young people have successfully rebuilt their lives. After a few years, they now know their new city well and feel at home there; have made important new friendships that give them support, and enjoy going to school. At the same time, these youngsters have encountered or are still encountering challenges and obstacles, within all four contexts.

In general, this dissertation tells a relatively positive story about young people’s first years following their resettlement in Rotterdam. Several social anchors – that provide them with stability and security in their lives in the Netherlands– are discussed to explain this rosy picture. It is concluded that although these youngsters have undergone adversity, they have developed and regained a sense of normalcy in life.