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Nuer Experience in the United States
Forced migration, as explained by Dianna J Shandy in her publications, provides a forum for the regular exchange of ideas, information, and practical experience of the Sudanese refugees in the United States. Shandy explains the plight and success stories of the Nuer in the United States. In talking about forced migration, Shandy talks about religion’s role in finding identity, space, and settlement in the United States. Moreover, from her articles, we learn that the Nuer still struggle to connect to their Sudanese traditions and with their extended family members.
The paper Nuer Christians in America by Shandy explains Christianity’s social and political aspect in the forced migration experiences of South Sudanese refugees living in the United States. Shandy focused her views on how Christians’ cultural elements affected the beauty and nature of engagement between American Christians and Nuer. By considering religion in refugees’ study, Christianity received more attention for its role in settling conflicts and consciousness rising of religious identity. Religion has often divided people throughout space and time, and for most of the refugees, religion defines their identity.
In her view about Christianity’s social-political role in the Sudanese Refugee involvement, she stated that Christian identity serves as an instrument for social reconstruction among the Sudanese refugees living in the United States. Additionally, the integration of the refugees into society starts when they are met at the airport by the host and sponsoring agencies. Most of the sponsoring agencies that partner with the US government to implement the refugees’ settlement are Christian-based. They include Catholic Charities, Lutheran Services, and Episcopal Migration Services. The purpose of these Charity agencies is to familiarize individual immigrants with the new environment, which is entirely different from the ones they are acquainted with. For instance, apart from hosting the new refugees in their households, the volunteers also gather basic needs like clothes and household items and help them settle in their own houses (Shandy 2002, 2013).
Shandy (2002, 213) outlines religious identity to be a contributor of differential politics in Sudan in ways that destruction of the means of livelihood, fleeing hunger, and other outcomes of civil war do not. Contrary to many conflict settings, refugees in the United States have been discriminated against depending on their religious backgrounds. For instance, some Nuer men had a controversial experience with a refugee in a camp who had been advised by US legal advisors to change his Muslim name to a Christian one for him to qualify to settle in the US. The man claimed that he had also faced persecution in Sudan for being a Christian while his name and son are Islamic. From the example, it is evident that religion plays a role in determining refugees’ resettlement priorities.
Additionally, Shandy (2003, 7) argues that the Nuer in the United States are linked to their homes and the diaspora through culture. Notably, the Nuer in America actively exchange their kin obligations and privileges to maintain their Sudanese traditions. The Nuer don’t live like homeless people in the US; instead, they live as social actors and remain active agents of producing and reconstructing their futures. Besides, the Nuer still depend on their traditional healing and maintain their cultural beliefs. However, they have to adapt to some of the secular and sacred life in their host countries. Staying in touch with other Sudanese at home also helps them maintain their traditions. They communicate through emails, phone calls, and letters.
The United States of America offers Nuer women various opportunities. For instance, with their little education, the United States employed women. Moreover, young women who are willing to progress with education are provided with funding programs by the host country. Since the US women faced the challenge of preparing and presenting American, a pilot project was conducted to help the Nuer women learn nutritional concepts and incorporate American food preparation techniques into their existing cooking methods. Moreover, cultural barriers and related issues were eliminated when the program was willing to build trust with the Nuer people. The training program was not meant to eliminate the Nuer cultural food preparation; it intended to help the women adjust to life in America (Shandy 2001, 15).
Finally, although the Nuer refugees are separated from their extended family, they have the advantage of being free from societal and family pressures and responsibilities. However, being distanced from family has negative repercussions too. One of the challenges that Nuer faces in the diaspora is marriage. Nuer in the US wishes to marry people of their tribe, and hence they often go back to their countries to look for spouses. Also, the Nuer men are concerned about the level of freedom the women in the US have, and hence they prefer to find a wife who has not been interfered with by American ways of life. Another challenge is maintaining ties with their families in the home country. Other adverse consequences of being abroad are cultural limitations, preparing American foods, and spiritual differences.
Works Cited
Shandy, Dianna. Perils and possibilities of Nuer refugee migration to the United States. Diss. Columbia University, 2001.
Shandy, Dianna J. “Nuer Christians in America.” Journal of refugee studies 15.2 (2002): 213-221.
Shandy, Dianna J. “Transnational linkages between refugees in Africa and in the diaspora.” Forced Migration Review 16.3 (2003): 7-8.