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The liability of refugeeness: leveraging multiple identities to enact power in a context of displacement

Author

Listed:
  • Iuliana Chitac

  • Elisabeth Michielsens

    (UOW - University of Westminster [London], DTU - Danmarks Tekniske Universitet = Technical University of Denmark)

  • Miruna Radu-Lefebvre

    (Audencia Business School)

Abstract

This article leverages the Jo Rowlands' typology of power and Crenshaw's intersectionality to engage in interpretative phenomenological analysis of Ukrainian women refugee entrepreneurs. In this study, we ask: ‘How do Ukrainian women refugee entrepreneurs experience their identities as mothers, refugees, Ukrainians, and entrepreneurs in a context of displacement in the UK and Romania?' Drawing on interviews and field notes, we expose the lived experiences of 13 women refugee entrepreneurs and reveal how they navigate their intersectional identities by enacting their agency through different forms of power. In doing so, our study aligns with this Special Issue call for understanding ‘everyday refugee entrepreneurship' in under-researched constraint contexts thus, contributing to refugee entrepreneurship research and policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Iuliana Chitac & Elisabeth Michielsens & Miruna Radu-Lefebvre, 2025. "The liability of refugeeness: leveraging multiple identities to enact power in a context of displacement," Post-Print hal-05250940, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05250940
    DOI: 10.1177/02662426251318609
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05250940v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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