Resilience on an emotional rollercoaster: Refugee entrepreneurship under adversity

Abstract

The political turmoil, civil war, economic crisis, and breakdown of the political systems in the Middle East and many African countries led to the global refugee crisis in 2015. Since then, policymakers and academics have recognized the entrepreneurial potential of refugees. Compared to migrants, due to forced displacement, refugees face significant adversities, such as psychological trauma and substantial institutional barriers. Consequently, refugee entrepreneurs need to develop and maintain a high degree of resilience to pursue an entrepreneurial path despite adversities. However, previous studies have treated resilience as a mere personal trait of refugees, neglecting its multi-layered, dynamic aspect. Against this background, this study examines how refugee entrepreneurs' resilience emerges and develops, and it analyzes the factors that influence the maintenance of their resilience. Based on 52 interviews with refugee entrepreneurs in Germany, this study finds that the fragile, unstable nature of refugees' resilience depends on various factors at the individual, relational, and institutional levels during venture development. Based on the findings, we theorize the dynamic process view of refugee entrepreneurs’ resilience.