Unique Issues for Resettling Refugees from the Congo Wars

Abstract

In recent years, many anthropologists in the United States have become involved with organizations that serve newly resettled refugees, especially as budgets for the agencies have been severely cut since 2017. Here, we reflect on some of our experiences working with Refugees from the Congo Wars (RFCWs) and address some of the challenges we have faced as applied/practicing anthropologists and resettlement support personnel. Juxtaposing a larger southern city—Tampa—with a smaller rustbelt city—Akron—we see many commonalities but also a few differences that likely relate to host city size and existing diversity profiles. Drawing on almost 3 years of research, we offer some shared observations and comparative divergences among populations of RFCWs that shed light on issues of: timing of arrival in the United States, community and class, schooling, gender and family, and food and diet, for people working with this population.