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Thèse Bashria Jan Sarwari
December 11, 2025, at 14:00, in Room D29 of the Maison de la Recherche (Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès).
Titre
Forced Displacement, Sociocultural Integration, and Self-Continuity among Afghan Refugees and Asylum Seekers in France.
Jury
Résumé
This thesis examines the psychological and sociocultural integration of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in France through an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. While existing research has largely emphasized structural indicators of integration such as employment, housing, or legal status, comparatively little attention has been paid to the psychological and identity-related dimensions of adaptation (Donini et al., 2016; Ryan et al., 2008; Theisen-Womersley, 2021). Addressing this gap, this thesis investigates how perceived forcedness of displacement, migration-related perils, discrimination, and trauma influence refugees’ psychological wellbeing, self-continuity, and sociocultural integration. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 14 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers residing in Paris and Toulouse. Guided by the PARI model (Echterhoff et al., 2020), the concept of self-continuity (Sedikides et al., 2023), and the Social Identity Model of Traumatic Identity Change (Muldoon et al., 2020), the analysis identified heterogeneous adaptation pathways. Narratives revealed fragile forms of adjustment marked by marginalization and disrupted self-continuity, alongside more balanced bicultural forms of integration (Berry, 1997, 2005). Participants highlighted the disruptive effects of trauma, insecure asylum procedures, and exclusion, but also noted the protective role of linking past and present identities. They further pointed to post-arrival stressors such as housing precarity and language barriers, while demonstrating agency and resilience through aspirations and social networks. Following the qualitative findings, the quantitative phase was designed to test and generalize these insights on a broader sample. A survey of 101 Afghan refugees measured perceived forcedness, migration-related perils, discrimination, sociocultural integration, social identity processes, and self-continuity. While mediation hypotheses were not supported, exploratory latent profile analysis identified four distinct adaptation patterns, ranging from fragile assimilation and marginalization to more resilient and bicultural forms of integration. These profiles closely mirrored the qualitative findings, underscoring both vulnerability and resilience in Afghan refugee and asylum seekers’ integration. By combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, this thesis demonstrates that integration is neither linear nor uniform but a multidimensional negotiation between loss, continuity, and belonging. The findings advance understanding of the psychological foundations of refugee integration and highlight the central role of self-continuity in navigating forced displacement and rebuilding identity in exile.
Keywords: psychology of migration, Afghan refugees, sociocultural integration, social identity, self-continuity.
Titre
Forced Displacement, Sociocultural Integration, and Self-Continuity among Afghan Refugees and Asylum Seekers in France.
Jury
| David BOURGUIGNON, Professor, Université de Lorraine (Reviewer) Christophe DEMARQUE, Associate Professor, Université d'Aix-Marseille (Reviewer) Marie-Caroline SAGLIO-YATZIMIRSKY, Professor, Institute for Oriental Studies INALCO (Examiner) Gesine STURM, Associate Professor, Université Toulouse II Jean Jaurès (Examiner) David VAIDIS, Professor, Université Toulouse II Jean Jaurès (Examiner) Christin-Melanie VAUCLAIR, Assistant Professor, University Institute of Lisbon (Reviewer) Maja BECKER, Professor, Université Toulouse II Jean Jaurès, Thesis Director |
This thesis examines the psychological and sociocultural integration of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in France through an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. While existing research has largely emphasized structural indicators of integration such as employment, housing, or legal status, comparatively little attention has been paid to the psychological and identity-related dimensions of adaptation (Donini et al., 2016; Ryan et al., 2008; Theisen-Womersley, 2021). Addressing this gap, this thesis investigates how perceived forcedness of displacement, migration-related perils, discrimination, and trauma influence refugees’ psychological wellbeing, self-continuity, and sociocultural integration. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 14 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers residing in Paris and Toulouse. Guided by the PARI model (Echterhoff et al., 2020), the concept of self-continuity (Sedikides et al., 2023), and the Social Identity Model of Traumatic Identity Change (Muldoon et al., 2020), the analysis identified heterogeneous adaptation pathways. Narratives revealed fragile forms of adjustment marked by marginalization and disrupted self-continuity, alongside more balanced bicultural forms of integration (Berry, 1997, 2005). Participants highlighted the disruptive effects of trauma, insecure asylum procedures, and exclusion, but also noted the protective role of linking past and present identities. They further pointed to post-arrival stressors such as housing precarity and language barriers, while demonstrating agency and resilience through aspirations and social networks. Following the qualitative findings, the quantitative phase was designed to test and generalize these insights on a broader sample. A survey of 101 Afghan refugees measured perceived forcedness, migration-related perils, discrimination, sociocultural integration, social identity processes, and self-continuity. While mediation hypotheses were not supported, exploratory latent profile analysis identified four distinct adaptation patterns, ranging from fragile assimilation and marginalization to more resilient and bicultural forms of integration. These profiles closely mirrored the qualitative findings, underscoring both vulnerability and resilience in Afghan refugee and asylum seekers’ integration. By combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, this thesis demonstrates that integration is neither linear nor uniform but a multidimensional negotiation between loss, continuity, and belonging. The findings advance understanding of the psychological foundations of refugee integration and highlight the central role of self-continuity in navigating forced displacement and rebuilding identity in exile.
Keywords: psychology of migration, Afghan refugees, sociocultural integration, social identity, self-continuity.