Badiah Haffejee

Background

About Badiah Haffejee

I received my Ph.D. and MSW from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. As a macro-practitioner, my expertise reflects my passion for transforming institutional policies, services, programs and interventions to best serve refugee populations in the US. Through my research, I have been able to highlight the unique needs of this vulnerable and marginalized population in a way that centers their voice and emphasizes their strengths and resilience. Additionally, my work highlights the enduring impact of trauma and poverty, including the ways that refugee policy, institutional cultures, and individual attitudes combine to negatively impact refugees living in underserved and under-resourced neighborhoods. Appreciating the power of story or narrative as a culturally relevant norm as well as a potential cultural buffer from the effects of ongoing trauma, I use innovative qualitative methodological approaches including the use of digital storytelling and photovoice/photo journaling. These methods are particularly relevant and accessible to refugee communities and are emerging as powerful modes of research and intervention. Research Areas: Racism, discrimination, and Islamophobia Carry-over effects of Trauma Trauma-informed care and practice Refugee Policy Economic Self-sufficiency Poverty Resiliency and Resistance Social Capital Job-Seeking Self-Efficacy Life Satisfaction Theoretical Frameworks: Womanism, Africana womanism Critical Race Theory (CRT) Colonialism and "post-colonialism" Empowerment Ecological Systems Theory Contact Theory