Hazaras, a persecuted minority from Afghanistan, number among those seeking
asylum in Australia since 1999. Australia’s national histories and its debate over
boat arrivals often exclude refugee voices. This thesis makes a significant
contribution to knowledge by using oral history to record, present and analyse
experiences of loss and hope among Hazara refugees through six in-depth case
studies. Exploring the content and subjectivity of their narratives, it shows that
Hazaras are fulfilling hopes and building successful lives within Australia when
given the opportunity, but the legacy of persecution, loss, trauma, family separations
and uncertainty can create prolonged crises or haunt them for decades.
The thesis also builds methodological knowledge by sharing my process of
becoming more adaptive when interviewing within cross-cultural and crisis settings.
It demonstrates that deep connection to the narrator, recognition of the multiple ways
in which they recount, and empathetic imagining of their experiences, alongside the
interviewer’s own self-reflection, are key elements of gathering stories of trauma and
bereavement. Being flexible during the fieldwork, yielding to the narrator’s cultural
mores as needed, and being sensitive to their personal circumstances enable
meaningful insights to be gleaned and ethical care to be upheld. Through this
evolving practice, the voices of marginalised Hazaras have been recognised and
amplified, enabling their memories to help shape, enrich, or unsettle Australia’s
recent refugee historiography.