1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The objective of this paper is to describe the reunification process in refugee families from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaïre) in Montreal and in particular to examine the strategies that enable them to re-establish continuity despite their many long separations. » (p. 1096)

2. Méthode

Échantillon :
Douze familles réfugiées

Instruments :
Entrevues

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse quantitative et analyse qualitative

3. Résumé

« The restrictive immigration and refugee policies of many Western countries force most refugee families to remain separated for long periods. Although there is much discussion among professionals in the community and the clinical milieu about the problems families encounter after reunification, the strategies employed by refugees to restore family life have not been paid much attention. This longitudinal study documents the pre- and post-reunification experiences of [...] refugee families from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Montreal. Our results suggest that family separation can be understood as an ambiguous loss, in that the temporary absence of other family members cannot be fully acknowledged because of the perpetual uncertainty and permanent risk to them. Memory work, in the form of shared family memories, attenuates the pain of the absence. Once reunited, family members must re-establish continuity in spite of the many denied rifts between them. The capacity to recall a personal, familial, or collective history of previous separation & loss appears to be protective, as if the memory of life’s discontinuities provides an opportunity to recreate a partial sense of continuity out of repeating experiences of chaos. » (résumé, p. 1095)