Abstract

PACHECO, Rafaela Farias  and  LUNA, Iúri Novaes. PSYCHOSOCIAL CAREER OF REFUGEES WITH HIGHER EDUCATION: identity reconstructions and work. Revista Teias [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.69, pp.306-323.  Epub Feb 28, 2023. ISSN 1982-0305.  https://doi.org/10.12957/teias.2022.66088.

In light of the contemporary research agenda that congregates the themes of work, career, and migration, we sought to understand the psychosocial career associated with the process of forced migration through the life and work experiences of professionals with higher education who find themselves in the situation of being refugees welcomed in Brazil. This is a qualitative and descriptive research, conducted through an in-depth study of the cases of two Latin American refugees, who participated in narrative interviews. It was observed, as results, that the participants' experiences are certainly unique; however, they reflect the way refugees reconstruct their psychosocial careers, based on the past, the present and their aspirations and visions for the future. Following arrival in the city of São Paulo, obstacles and challenges related to involuntary career transition, everyday work practices outside the area of professional training, and work identity reconstructions were highlighted. The migrants' life change process is still crossed by structural barriers after resettlement, which involve the assurance of legal status and language issues. We conclude, through the analysis of their narratives based on the theoretical model of psychosocial career, that even though they are refugees with established professional training, both interviewees present different facets of their work identities. These facets simultaneously refer to more traditional, closed, stable, and secure career discourses, on the one hand, and more contemporary, open, flexible, and risky/precarious ones, on the other. They thus express significant contradictions that are present in the work trajectories of refugees.

Keywords : refugee; career; work trajectory..

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