Includes bibliographical references and index.

The transformative power of storytelling : a social force for social change / Kiran Singh Sirah -- Challenging colonial paradigms in the ethnographic study of immigrant stories / William Westerman -- The "good refugee" and the contexts and constraints of storytelling / Kate Parker Horigan -- Narrating racialized ideologies in Northern Italy / Sabina M. Perrino -- Belonging begins with us : a storytelling intervention / Wendy Feliz and Sheri Klein -- Political asylum stories of emergency, delay, waiting, and other temporalities / Amy Shuman and Carol Bohmer -- A story of a perilous journey from Cuba to the United States / Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera and Jaime Scott -- Changing horses midstream : reframing public interest folklore / Amy E. Skillman -- Afghan voices of hope : stories of escaping the Taliban to unknown destinations / Gaisu Yari.

"Migrants' and refugees' stories have become an essential part of the public debate around immigration. Benjamin Gatling edits interdisciplinary essays that bring together the distinct perspectives of researchers, activists, and policymakers to emphasize how these often siloed communities can use stories as social science data and advocacy tools. Ranging from oral history projects to the asylum process to calls for decolonial justice, the contributors' analyses illuminate how migrants' and refugees' personal narratives influence both perceptions and policies. Their merger of perspectives provides a nuanced understanding of migration and emphasizes the importance of how storytelling can foster empathy, challenge stereotypes, and drive social change. At the same time, the essays center migrants' and refugees' voices within public debates and in work done to humanize the reality they face. Original and multifaceted, Migration Stories provides a vital addition to how we study and frame immigration"-- Provided by publisher.