Creative writing as a socially contextualised practice: a narrative inquiry into supporting refugee social integration through non-formal education in England

This thesis explores the role of creative writing groups as a platform for non-formal education in supporting the social integration of adult refugees in England. Grounded in the Social Identity Approach to Health and Well-being and Writer Identity Theory, the study examines participants’ perspectives on their sense of self, social support, and agency to resist stigma within their host society. A qualitative, longitudinal narrative inquiry was conducted with 11 refugees in England, aged 20–50, from eight African and Middle Eastern countries. The dataset comprised 21 in-depth interviews and 33 creative writing samples, offering rich insights into participants’ experiences.