Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
Start Date
5-12-2015 1:00 PM
End Date
5-12-2015 2:30 PM
Subjects
Kurdish Refugees -- Oregon -- Portland, Kurds -- Relocation -- Oregon -- Portland
Abstract
This paper is a narrative approach to the experience of Kurdish refugees in Portland, Oregon, focusing specifically on the experiences of Nihad Abdul Rahman, a 40 year old Kurdish refugee born and raised in Baghdad. Nihad arrived in Portland on January 18th, 2015, five years after beginning his refugee application process with the International Organization of Migration (personal communication, February 23, 2015). The qualitative nature of this paper is expressed through the indefinite article of the title: “A Kurdish Refugee.” Nihad receives refugee assistance from Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSN), a non-Profit NGO in Portland, Oregon that is one of the four local agencies contracted by the U.S. government to work with refugee populations. This paper uses theories of cross-cultural adaptation, ethnic group strength, and intercultural dialogue to contextualize the efforts of LCSN to combine services for the two distinct ethnic groups. The article concludes there is a great deal of potential within the Cultural Exchanges hosted by LCSN to make use of all three theories for more effective intercultural communication to the benefit of all attendees.
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Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19809
A Minority Within a Minority: A Kurdish Refugee in Portland, Oregon
Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
This paper is a narrative approach to the experience of Kurdish refugees in Portland, Oregon, focusing specifically on the experiences of Nihad Abdul Rahman, a 40 year old Kurdish refugee born and raised in Baghdad. Nihad arrived in Portland on January 18th, 2015, five years after beginning his refugee application process with the International Organization of Migration (personal communication, February 23, 2015). The qualitative nature of this paper is expressed through the indefinite article of the title: “A Kurdish Refugee.” Nihad receives refugee assistance from Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSN), a non-Profit NGO in Portland, Oregon that is one of the four local agencies contracted by the U.S. government to work with refugee populations. This paper uses theories of cross-cultural adaptation, ethnic group strength, and intercultural dialogue to contextualize the efforts of LCSN to combine services for the two distinct ethnic groups. The article concludes there is a great deal of potential within the Cultural Exchanges hosted by LCSN to make use of all three theories for more effective intercultural communication to the benefit of all attendees.