War, persecution, and climate change too often force people from their homes and across borders. Most remain in difficult conditions in neighboring countries. The less than one percent of refugees offered resettlement to a different country gain an alternative path forward, with access to specialized supports and services that are traditionally understood as a solution to displacement and a program of integration. Examining the complexities of refugees' lived experiences, Molly Fee's deeply humanistic ethnography reframes resettlement as a period of disruption and disorientation, when newly arrived refugees must navigate the rules and expectations of a new country. For those who have already rebuilt their lives numerous times, resettlement becomes yet another uprooting. Believing in Light after Darkness reveals how humanitarian solutions, though well intentioned, do not immediately resolve the conditions of displacement.
Molly Fee is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the University of South Florida.
"Molly Fee's unvarnished account shows how refugees cope during their first months in the United States as local contexts in San Diego and Boise create unique opportunities and obstacles. This book is indispensable for anyone interested in refugee resettlement."—David Scott FitzGerald, coauthor of The Refugee System: A Sociological Approach
"A compelling story of the challenges faced by refugees resettled in the US. Using painstaking fieldwork and a deep knowledge of the structures shaping reception, this work transforms our understanding of resettlement programs. It is essential reading for anyone interested in responses to refugees."—Matthew J. Gibney, Elizabeth Colson Professor of Politics and Forced Migration, University of Oxford
315 pp.6 x 9Illus: 2 b/w illustrations, 8 tables
9780520416307$95.00|£80.00Hardcover
Mar 2026