Seeing America through the eyes of refugees

Seeing America through the eyes of refugees

Author: The Watson School October 4, 2023 Duration: 31:31
Trending Globally: Politics and Policy
NewsEducationScienceSocial

One day in the year 2000, in the midst of the Second Congo War, Honoria* fled her home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and never returned. After 16 years in a refugee camp in Uganda, she relocated to Philadelphia, where she became one of the roughly 80,000 refugees who entered the U.S. that year. 

Honoria’s family was one of the dozens that Blair Sackett, a sociologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Watson Institute, followed as they navigated life in the U.S. Sackett, whose work focuses on the experience of refugees in the U.S. and abroad, wanted to understand why some refugees thrived in the U.S. while others faltered. 

The result of Sackett’s research is a new book, co-authored with sociologist Annette  Lareau, called “We Thought It Would Be Heaven: Refugees in an Unequal America.” On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Sackett about the book, and about the under-explored factors that play a surprisingly large role in the wellbeing and success of refugees in the U.S. 

Learn more about and purchase “We Thought It Would be Heaven”

Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

*All names of displaced persons in this episode, and in "We Thought It Would Be Heaven," are pseudonyms.


From the Watson School at Brown University, Trending Globally: Politics and Policy brings the insights of leading scholars and practitioners directly into your ears. This award-winning podcast digs into the complex forces shaping our world, moving beyond headlines to understand the deeper political and policy decisions behind them. Each conversation is designed to unpack a pressing issue-whether it's international trade tensions, public health crises, or social movements-with clarity and depth. You'll hear experts from the Watson Institute and beyond explain not just what's happening, but why it matters and how different policies might change the course of events. The discussions are grounded in rigorous research yet remain accessible, turning daunting global topics into understandable and engaging dialogue. For anyone curious about the mechanics of power, governance, and societal change, this series offers a vital resource. It’s a direct line to some of the sharpest minds in international and public affairs, all within a format that fits into your daily routine. Find Trending Globally: Politics and Policy and add it to your listening rotation for a consistently informative perspective on the stories that define our time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Official website RSS
Trending Globally: Politics and Policy
Podcast Episodes
Why America can’t build things like it used to [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:05
On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Marc Dunkelman, Watson Institute fellow in International and Public Affairs and author of the new book “Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back.” In the bo…
AI and the future of human rights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:33
In 2022, OpenAI, Inc. launched a free version of its software ChatGPT, ushering in a new phase in the widespread use of artificial intelligence. Since then, a constant stream of breakthroughs in AI tech by a handful of c…
Is America’s “housing crisis” really a “mobility crisis”? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:54
In the 19th century, about one in three Americans moved every year. In the 1960s, that figure had shrunk to one in five In 2023, it was one in 13. In other words, a smaller percentage of Americans are moving today than t…
What Germany’s election means for Germany, the US, and the world [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:14
On February 23, Germans went to the polls. While the establishment center-right CDU/CSU alliance won the largest share of votes, the results revealed a country experiencing profound political and social change. The far-r…
The future of US-China relations under a new Trump administration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:00
On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Tyler Jost, a political scientist and assistant professor at the Watson Institute. Tyler is an expert on international security and Chinese foreign policy, and his new book “Burea…
President Trump is back in office. What have we learned so far? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:40
On Monday, January 20, Donald Trump was once again sworn in as President of the United States. The ceremony was moved indoors due to the cold, where Trump declared in his inaugural address that no president has ever been…
Can the “free market” solve the climate crisis? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:09
While there are many hurdles to addressing the climate crisis in a meaningful way, there’s been one consistent bright spot in climate news over the last decade: the price of renewable energy — particularly solar and wind…
The surprising causes and effects of democratic erosion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:44
In the last two presidential elections in the United States, one issue has entered our political debates in a way we haven’t seen in recent history: the health and future of American democracy itself. And as Rob Blair, a…

«1234567...10»