A Sociological Peregrination of Cultural Immersion of the South Sudanese “Lost Boys” in the greater Kansas City Area

Abstract

This study investigated the social and cultural integration of the South Sudanese “Lost Boys” living in the greater Kansas City area. The “Lost Boys” are South Sudanese refugees who immigrated to the United States assisted by the U.S. government, a result of intensely bloody and protracted warfare in their home country then known as Sudan (now South Sudan). The purpose of this study was to find their social and cultural integration experiences in the greater Kansas area after resettlement in 2000. Information was collected from forty Boys. The specific goal of the study was to understand their immersion in social/cultural activities during their fourteen-plus years living in the U.S. The study used semi-structured interviews to elucidate their participation using qualitative research methods.