Co-Sponsored with the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative and UCSD's Center for Comparative Migration Studies.

Abstract: Resettled refugees in America face a land of daunting obstacles where small things—one person, one encounter—can make all the difference in getting ahead or falling behind.

Fleeing war and violence, many refugees dream that moving to the United States will be like going to Heaven. Instead, they enter a deeply unequal American society, often at the bottom: channeled into grueling, low-wage work and segregated neighborhoods. Through the lived experiences of families resettled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Blair Sackett and Annette Lareau reveal how a daunting obstacle course of agencies and services can drastically alter refugees’ experiences building a new life in America.

For some families, seemingly small organizational errors create catastrophes—food stamps cut off, educational opportunities missed, benefits lost. As families navigate a complex web of social service organizations, problems in one arena can reverberate, creating new problems in new organizational spheres. Other families, with the help of volunteers and social supports, escape these traps and take steps toward reaching their dreams. Engaging and eye-opening, We Thought It Would Be Heaven brings readers into the daily lives of Congolese refugees and offers guidance for how activists, workers, and policymakers can help refugee families thrive.

Sponsor(s): Center for Study of International Migration, UC Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative, UCSD Center for Comparative Immigration Studies