Creating a platform to gives voice to the Iraqi refugee experience

Nearly 90,000 Iraqi refugees have resettled in the U.S. since 2007 — and many of them have made the metro Detroit area their home. That number is impressive and it’s good to know. But senior Lujayne Ridha and Anthropology Associate Professor Rose Wellman want to foster understanding of this community beyond the statistics.

Their research project, “Iraqi Shi'i Refugees in Greater Detroit: Constituting the Moral Integrity of Family as an Act of Religion,” documents the goals, aspirations and values of Iraqi refugees in the region. Their research is based on interviews conducted in community centers, mosques, businesses and homes. They documented their project using recordings, transcripts, photos and videos.

“Family ties and passing down traditions and religious beliefs are universally understood. They are the things that go beyond a number and make us all human. In a time of so much divide, we need to find ways to connect with each other and share messages of understanding,” Ridha said. “Our project gives a voice to a population that’s been underrepresented. We want to give a way for people to share their experiences, be seen and have those unfamiliar with the Iraqi experience learn from these stories.”

The project centers on the family experience, primarily through the lens of women.

They’ve talked to families about the importance of large gatherings with traditional dishes like the tomato-based stew margat albamiya or chicken and barley hareesa. And they’ve interviewed people on how their past experiences shape how they raise their children and hold onto cultural and religious values.

“Women are often the carriers of culture. That might be through cooking, organizing gatherings, teaching their children or developing their home as a place to continue their values. Men do these things too, but there is so much more that women take on to keep their values and tradition,” Wellman said. “Women are strong and resilient and their role is not often highlighted enough.”

Ridha and Wellman will share their project at the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Showcase event. The event takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. today, Sept. 15, in Mardigian Library.

Through the SURE program, Ridha and 20 other undergraduate students had the opportunity to participate in research projects under the mentorship of faculty.The students, who each worked as paid researchers through a campus grant, also participated in professional development events and training related to their specific fields. See a list of the 21 projects.

“The SURE Showcase provides a forum for students, faculty, and the campus community to discuss cutting edge research topics and to examine the connection between research and education,” said Associate Provost Maureen Linker. “The projects are excellent and represent the entire university. Faculty members from all four colleges served as mentors and there are a wide variety of research topics that includes medical research, ethnography, climate change, business supply chains, wearable technology and more.”

Ridha is on a pre-medicine track and plans to become a physician assistant. She’s worked in healthcare clinics and in medical assistant-related roles. But the research she did over the summer prepared her in ways a traditional work experience could not.

“In healthcare, patients come in with a problem. At times, the root cause isn’t clear and providers need to truly listen to understand what’s going on. The work I’ve done with Dr. Wellman has helped me learn how to be an attentive listener. It helped me leave my bias at the door so I can think more objectively,” she said. “This research also reminded me how important it is to be compassionate. The difference between a good PA and a great one is compassion. And to truly have compassion for others, you need to have an understanding of where they are coming from.”

Outside of the growth in understanding and research methods, Ridha said she specifically wanted to work with Wellman.

Wellman, assistant director of the campus’ Center for Arab American Studies, is a known ethnographer who has traveled to rural areas of Iran to document families who had ties to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War. Her on-the-ground look into ordinary citizen’s lives — listening to their hopes and dreams and seeing family practices —  resulted in the book, Feeding Iran: Shi`i Families and the Making of the Islamic Republic (University of California Press, 2021).

It was the first account since 1979 that gave a voice to the supporters who lived outside of Iran’s urban centers. Prior to coming to UM-Dearborn in 2017, she held a postdoctoral research associate position at Princeton University's Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies.

“I’ve taken three semesters of classes with Dr. Wellman, the first being her course on Islamophobia — if you haven’t taken it, you should. I’ve never met someone so amiable and laid back, who at the same time was so dedicated and focused on her research,” Ridha said. “I knew I wanted to work with her and I’m appreciative that the SURE program gave me this opportunity.”

Ridha said the work is also important to her on a personal level. Her parents left Iraq in 1979; she and her brothers are the first generation born in the U.S.

When interviewing people for the project, she also spoke to her parents and she heard stories about leaving their home, possessions and life as they knew it behind.

But they did bring traditions with them. Among those Ridha sees today: Her parents work together in the kitchen to make Iraqi dishes. When thinking about what cultural rituals mean and their importance, Ridha discovered an answer of her own.

“Doing this research, I’ve thought about how one day I’ll have my own family and I want to learn these recipes. My future children and their children need to taste these foods to stay connected to our culture and generations that came before us.”

Their work will continue beyond the SURE Showcase. Ridha recently became Wellman’s student research assistant this academic year and she looks forward to conducting more oral histories and documenting Iraqi life through imagery.

“Culture is beautiful and complicated. It makes us who we are and it sets us apart,” Ridha said. “We are living in a time of cross-cultural misunderstanding and conflicts. I hope our project gives voice to the Iraqi people in our area, challenges the dangers of ethnocentrism and helps us all recognize the humanity in each other.” 

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.