Department of History, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
Department of Emergency Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Barrie Street, Kingston, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Cult Med Psychiatry. 2022 Sep;46(3):654-678. doi: 10.1007/s11013-022-09772-7. Epub 2022 Mar 18.
Children fathered and abandoned by United Nations peacekeepers are an unintended consequence of peacekeeping operations. Research suggests that the social identity of peacekeeper-fathered children (PKFC) is complex and contradictory. While economically disadvantaged, PKFC's biracial background confers elements of racial privilege. Using the Democratic Republic of Congo as a case study, the present research evaluates the impact of racial differences on PKFC's social standing. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a racially heterogeneous sample of 35 PKFC and 60 mothers, we analyse how race and poverty interact and cause PKFC's conflicting social role. The data demonstrates that being of mixed race leads to the expectation of a higher living standard. Since most PKFC live in extreme economic deprivation, their anticipated privilege contrasts with reality. We found that the stigmatizing effects of poverty were amplified by biracial identification, leading to additional disadvantage, epitomised in the term "Muzungu aliye homba" [white child gone bankrupt]. The findings add to research on 'children born of war' and show the role of culture in shaping youth's social identities. Based on PKFC's intersecting burdens, we make policy recommendations that address the nexus of race and poverty.
由联合国维和人员所生育和遗弃的儿童是维和行动的一个意外后果。研究表明，维和人员所生育的儿童（PKFC）的社会身份是复杂而矛盾的。尽管经济上处于不利地位，但 PKFC 的混血背景赋予了他们一些种族特权的元素。本文以刚果民主共和国为例，评估了种族差异对 PKFC 社会地位的影响。通过对 35 名 PKFC 和 60 名母亲进行深入访谈，我们分析了种族和贫困是如何相互作用并导致 PKFC 冲突的社会角色。数据表明，混血儿的身份使人们期望更高的生活水平。由于大多数 PKFC 生活在极端贫困中，他们预期的特权与现实形成鲜明对比。我们发现，贫困的污名化效应因混血儿的身份而加剧，导致了更多的劣势，用术语来说就是“Muzungu aliye homba”[白人孩子破产了]。这些发现增加了对“战争中出生的儿童”的研究，并展示了文化在塑造青年社会身份方面的作用。基于 PKFC 所承受的多重负担，我们提出了一些政策建议，旨在解决种族和贫困之间的关系。
