Refugees in Canada

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

   PDF

2. The Problem

   • Thomas Ricento

   Pages 1-16

3. The Researcher and the Researched

   • Thomas Ricento

   Pages 17-36

4. The Study

   • Thomas Ricento

   Pages 37-65

5. The Martinez Family

   • Thomas Ricento

   Pages 67-96

6. Patrick and Chantal

   • Thomas Ricento

   Pages 97-105

7. Challenges and a Way Forward

   • Thomas Ricento

   Pages 107-132

8. Back Matter

   Pages 133-137

   PDF

The focus of this book is on the experiences of government-sponsored refugees in the early stages of integrating into Canadian society. Combining data gleaned from a longitudinal study of relatively recently arrived refugees in Calgary, Canada, with a close focus on the case of a physician from Colombia and his family, this volume illustrates how the cultural and social capital of refugees is marginalized and, in some cases, erased by the undervaluing of their education, training, credentials, and other knowledge. The findings presented in the book underscore the importance of addressing the challenge of integrating highly trained professionals into the professions for which they are credentialed.

• immigration policy
• refugee and migration studies
• second language acquisition
• English as an additional language
• political economy
• Canadian government
• resettlement
• social capital

“This book is intended for researchers, teachers, and language policies makers. It demystifies the linguistic, social, and economic conditions of refugee families in Canada. It is an excellent example for researching the changes in the social and cultural capital of migrants, indigenous peoples, and transnational families in other countries.” (Lorena Córdova-Hernández, Language Policy, Vol. 21, 2022)

“This sensitively written volume by Ricento uncovers a host of policy concerns around immigrants and refugees in Canada and offers what all excellent policy research should: a complex, grounded picture of humans and language communities working to resettle in their new homelands.  Assuming a bottom-up approach, he pulls back all veils to explore how issues regarding foreign credentials, the non-recognition of knowledge capital accumulated in other countries, and larger ideologies of liberal universalism emerge from policies that demand scrutiny and accountability.” 

 --Vaidehi Ramanathan, Professor of Linguistics, University of California, Davis

 

 “In Refugees in Canada: On the Loss of Social and Cultural Capital, Tom Ricento places extensive quotations from four unforgettable refugees -- from Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- into their complex economic, political and historical context. As the four individuals vividly describe and analyze their experiences, readers will better understand the major shortcomings of resettlement policies and practices in Canada. Anyone who cares about developing more humanitarian migration policies will value this timely book.”

 --James W. Tollefson, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Washington

• Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

  Thomas Ricento

Thomas Ricento is Professor and Research Chair Emeritus in Education at the University of Calgary, Canada.

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