The experience of fleeing one's homeland to escape war is as old as human history itself. As of the beginning of 2006, there were an estimated 20.8 million people around the world who had been forcibly displaced from their homes and were under the care of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR, 2006). According to the latest estimates (UNHCR), the two countries from which the largest numbers of refugees originate are Afghanistan and Sudan, with 1.9 million and 693,300 people who have fled to other countries, respectively. ¹ Although refugees generally come from developing countries and most find refuge in a neighboring country also in the developing world, a minority of these refugees permanently resettle in more distant developed countries like the United States (Ogata, 2005). As a nation primarily composed of immigrants, this country has hosted refugees from all around the world. Two groups who have made their homes in the United States are Cambodian refugees who came here in the 1980's and the Southern Sudanese who came to this country more recently in the early 2000's. Their experiences shed light on how people develop their identities in the context of war. As a field, we are only beginning to explore how refugee experiences shape people's identities.

This study explores how people who have permanently resettled to the United States after fleeing war in Cambodia and Sudan have been affected by their experiences of flight. Specifically, the following questions are addressed: How do the experiences of fleeing one's homeland due to war and conflict influence one's self and identity? What is the process of self and identity development/change in the context of fleeing war?

¹This figure does not include some 4.3 million Palestinians refugees who come under a separate mandate.