The Refugee Legacy

Associate Professor Nathalie Nguyen

About the project

Refugee crises around the world highlight issues of identity and belonging among second generation refugees and migrants. Focusing on second generation Vietnamese in Australia, this project, funded through the Australian Research Council Discovery Program, examines identity formation, secondary trauma, and linguistic and cultural interactions in the wake of war and the refugee experience. It aims to provide a deeper understanding of Australia’s largest refugee community, foster positive community relations, and strengthen our social fabric.

A key outcome of the project is the creation and establishment of a new oral history collection at the National Library of Australia - the Second Generation Vietnamese in Australia Oral History Project.

Associate Professor Nguyen is also conducting a pilot project on “Pathways to Prevention: Vietnamese Offenders in Victoria” funded by the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association (AVWA).

Below are images from second generation artist Phuong Ngo. His artwork conveys his reflections on and translation of his parents’ refugee histories.