Elevating the Narratives of Yazidis Living in the United States: A Culture-Centered Interrogation of Chronic Trauma Post-Genocide
1
Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
The Yazidi community, forcefully displaced by the 2014 genocide by ISIS and migrated to the United States, has a unique type of trauma that has been understudied by health communication scholars, which forces this community to grapple with trauma exacerbated by acculturative stress, racism, discrimination, and limited structural support in the host country (Clauss-Ehlers, 2019). Despite the profound effects of forced migration on refugee health, dominant psychological and biomedical frameworks that are Western-centric often inadequately capture culturally grounded narratives of trauma and fail to provide culturally-centered healing practices. To address this gap, this study is guided by the culture-centered approach (CCA) (Dutta, 2008). The study aims to understand and conceptualize the meanings of trauma and health as shared by Yazidi immigrants resettled in the United States after the 2014 genocide. The broader goal is to design and disseminate a culturally-centered, trauma-informed intervention in collaboration with local NGOs for the Yazidi community in the Midwest. The CCA emphasizes voice methodologies to uncover erased health narratives at the "margins of the margins" (Dutta et al., 2024), making it instrumental for exploring the experiences of genocide survivors. More than 20 ethnographic interviews were conducted with Yazidi genocide survivors about their experiences and interpretations of trauma and its impact on their well-being. These interviews were analyzed using grounded theory alongside the CCA's structure, culture, and agency framework to center participants' conceptualizations of trauma and health. Structural barriers, including language, discrimination and racism, resettlement inadequacies, intergroup dynamics, and the biomedical framework, negatively impact Yazidis' health. Additionally, the complexity of the U.S. healthcare system adversely affects Yazidis' ability to recover after the genocide. Culture is both an enabling and constraining factor as Yazidis attempt to heal from trauma. Research implications and future directions for supporting Yazidis in the U.S. are discussed.
The Yazidi community, forcefully displaced by the 2014 genocide by ISIS and migrated to the United States, has a unique type of trauma that has been understudied by health communication scholars, which forces this community to grapple with trauma exacerbated by acculturative stress, racism, discrimination, and limited structural support in the host country (Clauss-Ehlers, 2019). Despite the profound effects of forced migration on refugee health, dominant psychological and biomedical frameworks that are Western-centric often inadequately capture culturally grounded narratives of trauma and fail to provide culturally-centered healing practices. To address this gap, this study is guided by the culture-centered approach (CCA) (Dutta, 2008). The study aims to understand and conceptualize the meanings of trauma and health as shared by Yazidi immigrants resettled in the United States after the 2014 genocide. The broader goal is to design and disseminate a culturally-centered, trauma-informed intervention in collaboration with local NGOs for the Yazidi community in the Midwest. The CCA emphasizes voice methodologies to uncover erased health narratives at the "margins of the margins" (Dutta et al., 2024), making it instrumental for exploring the experiences of genocide survivors. More than 20 ethnographic interviews were conducted with Yazidi genocide survivors about their experiences and interpretations of trauma and its impact on their well-being. These interviews were analyzed using grounded theory alongside the CCA's structure, culture, and agency framework to center participants' conceptualizations of trauma and health. Structural barriers, including language, discrimination and racism, resettlement inadequacies, intergroup dynamics, and the biomedical framework, negatively impact Yazidis' health. Additionally, the complexity of the U.S. healthcare system adversely affects Yazidis' ability to recover after the genocide. Culture is both an enabling and constraining factor as Yazidis attempt to heal from trauma. Research implications and future directions for supporting Yazidis in the U.S. are discussed.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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