Grandmothers Behind the Scenes: Subordinate Integration, Care Work, and Power in Syrian Canadian Refugee Resettlement

Research and policy concerning the Syrian Canadian diaspora has not prioritized elders. This article adds to scholarship about the well-being of newcomers admitted via the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative through a focus on grandmothers resettled within their multigenerational families. Using interviews and qualitative field research, we show how the authority and status these elder women once held in Syria may be undermined by their comparatively subordinate integration in Canada. Although new, post-migration configurations of power, care work, and community may present some opportunities, the burdens and dependencies of subordinate integration mostly constrain these elders from reclaiming their authority and status.La recherche et les politiques concernant la diaspora syrienne au Canada n'ont pas accordé la priorité aux aînés. Cet article contribue à la recherche sur le bien-être des nouveaux arrivants admis via l’Initiative de réinstallation des réfugiés syriens en mettant l’accent sur les grand-mères réinstallées chez leurs familles multigénérationnelles. À l’aide d’entrevues et d’une enquête de terrain qualitative, nous démontrons comment l’autorité et le statut autrefois détenus par ces aînées en Syrie peuvent être ébranlés par leur intégration relativement subordonnée au Canada. Bien que de nouvelles configurations post-migratoires de pouvoir, de travail de soin et de communauté puissent présenter certaines opportunités, les fardeaux et les dépendances de l’intégration subordonnée empêchent principalement ces aînées de récupérer leur autorité et leur statut

View to the U: An eye on UTM research

This is an audio recording from the podcast series "View to the U: An eye on UTM research".The guests on this edition of VIEW to the U are University of Toronto Mississauga Professors Neda Maghbouleh and Jasmine Rault. Neda and Jasmine define and explore their particular studies, covering topics such as race, immigration, ethics, place, sexuality, archives and digital humanities. Today we go beyond limits – not just of race and gender, but also moving past some traditional models of how research is realized or conducted, and perhaps “beyond the limits of imagination,” which comes up in the conversation

Middle Eastern and North African Americans may not be perceived, nor perceive themselves, to be White

People of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent are categorized as non-White in many Western countries but counted as White on the US Census. Yet, it is not clear that MENA people see themselves or are seen by others as White. We examine both sides of this ethnoracial boundary in two experiments. First, we examined how non-MENA White and MENA individuals perceive the racial status of MENA traits (external categorization), and then, how MENA individuals identify themselves (self-identification). We found non-MENA Whites and MENAs consider MENA-related traits—including ancestry, names, and religion—to be MENA rather than White. Furthermore, when given the option, most MENA individuals self-identify as MENA or as MENA and White, particularly second-generation individuals and those who identify as Muslim. In addition, MENAs who perceive more anti-MENA discrimination are more likely to embrace a MENA identity, which suggests that perceived racial hostility may be activating a stronger group identity. Our findings provide evidence about the suitability of adding a separate MENA label to the race/ethnicity identification question in the US Census, and suggest MENAs’ official designation as White may not correspond to their lived experiences nor to others’ perceptions. As long as MENA Americans remain aggregated with Whites, potential inequalities they face will remain hidden

Nationalism

We talk about nationalism with Bart Bonikowski. Guest host Neda Magbouleh

The Shutdown

A discussion of the federal government shutdown

Taxing the Rich

A viral speech calls for the need to tax the rich

The Comradely Professor

The gang discusses "The Comradely Professor" article in the Chronicle of Higher Education

Making It In India

An interview about Patrick Inglis' book on social mobility in India

Ethnography Abroad

The challenges of conducting ethnography in other countries