Researching migrants who hold nomadic identities : Analysing multi-level dynamic discourses of power

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the researcher can critically reflect on his/her own identities when interacting with participants who hold nomadic identities and analyses the dynamic discourses of power unfolding at different levels. Design/methodology/approach – Autobiographical narrative data derived from a research study on highly educated refugees in the UK are analysed in order to highlight the multi-level dynamic discourses of power unfolding between researcher, participants, the community context and the broader socio-cultural context. Findings – The findings shed light not only on the power relations unfolding at different levels but also on inequalities which arise – particularly in organisational settings - and put at a disadvantage certain groups of highly educated refugees. Research limitations/implications – The thorough analysis demonstrates how a researcher can be critically reflexive – that is, challenges his/her own authority and gives “voice” to the participants – when studying groups with nomadic identities. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in revealing through a critical reflexive analysis how and why certain migrant groups may be disadvantaged and/or marginalised in organisational settings.