More than a number: Exploring the impact of age(ing) on refugees’ experiences of arrival

Abstract

Age(ing) as an intersectional category has seen only limited attention in refugee studies so far. Although research exists on the living situation and vulnerabilities of specific age groups, conceptual perspectives on how age(ing), as a factor of difference, plays out in refugees’ experiences of flight and arrival has been explored to a lesser extent. Drawing on qualitative research with fifty-three refugees who arrived in Germany since 2015 this contribution explores refugees’ experiences of arrival and their interrelation with their life courses. The analysis follows an intersectional life course perspective to unpack arrival experiences through the dimensions of key life events and their timing; locally and globally linked lives; categories of difference; as well as systems of domination and refugees’ agency. The contribution closes by proposing three conceptual considerations about how a focus on age(ing) can enhance a nuanced understanding of forced migrants’ living experiences.