Navigating Precarity: Narratives of Ageing from Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Greater Manchester

Abstract

Older refugees and asylum seekers represent a profoundly under researched and policy-neglected group, despite global rises in ageing and forced displacement. This thesis applies a conceptual framework of precarity to explore the lived experiences of older adults with an asylum-seeking background in Greater Manchester, UK. Between November 2022 and May 2024, 26 people aged 50 and above from 12 countries of origin took part in individual life story interviews. In addition, two co-production workshops led to the creation of a comic, “Echoes of Displacement”, extending the dissemination of the research findings beyond academia. Findings reveal that older refugees and asylum seekers experience entrenched precarity, spanning material, economic, sociocultural and health dimensions. These conditions are shaped not only by personal histories and the experience of forced displacement but are created and sustained by systemic neglect and control, which this thesis terms institutional and state-structured precarity. Yet, the research also highlights opportunities to resist and navigate precarity, through individual agency and with the support of civil society and community. Experiences of precarity transpire in different ways, but in some cases, the shared experience of precarity is a mobiliser of resistance. Participants share moments of hope through multiple layers of disadvantage. This thesis makes original contributions to social gerontology by extending the framework of precarity to the distinct intersection of ageing and forced displacement. Alongside everyday experiences of uncertainty, insecurity and risk, the concept highlights the role of time and power relations in ageing trajectories. This research demonstrates the value of life stories and creative dissemination for amplifying seldom heard voices and adding nuance to experiences. It calls for a rights-based, inclusive approach to ageing and asylum policy, involving greater cross-sector collaboration and increased investment in voluntary, community, and faith organisations, which play a vital role in supporting refugees and asylum seekers to navigate precarity in later life.

Date of Award	16 Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Tanja Bastia (Supervisor), Patty Doran (Supervisor) & Tine Buffel (Supervisor)