Home / Special Issues / Illuminate / Issue 2: Becoming Migration Researchers
Sunday, September 1, 2019
An introduction to "Migration Stories" by Laura Bisaillon What do five Canadian women with kinship ties to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam have in common? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In this special collection, contemporary experiences with human movement and circulation across borders, both material and conceptual, are... More
In July 2017, my family and I returned to Vietnam, thirteen years after our last visit. Duong Bui, my father, took my younger brother, Allan, and I to visit his childhood home. He lived there from birth until he escaped Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Like many others, he became a refugee and made his way to Canada, in search of better... More
In this paper, I highlight the significance of language as a key feature supporting cultural and community practices. Starting with my ethnic community, Memon, and the language we speak, Kutchi, I argue that it is important for us to find ways to preserve. Currently, it is only an oral language. Without an official script, I am concerned that this... More
This paper aims to explore social belonging for Muslims and Muslim immigrants in North America using the object of a janamaz (prayer mat). I argue that in the face of rising intolerance and an inherent ‘othering’ of Muslims embedded in legal structures and social awareness, being backed by a community creates a sense of social belonging that... More
In this paper, I share how as an immigrant in Canada, I felt detached from my home country of Bangladesh in my early years due to a desire to assimilate into dominant Canadian culture. As I grew older, I actively sought a connection to cultivate my ‘Bengaliness’ by holding onto Bengali food customs and practices. I use my personal narratives... More
In this essay, I contest ideas and representations about migrants as “vulnerable” and “other” from a presumed “us”. I argue that migrants are strong figures who deal with uncertainties over which they have little control. I have composed a music composition entitled No Turning Back. This analyses features my mother’s migration to... More
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