The key objective of this study was to understand how racialized immigrant communities in Toronto not just cope and become resilient to systemic stressors and inequities they face in the post-migration context, but also how they organize to subvert, contest or overcome these systemic stressors and inequities. We took a critical framework of resilience, conceptualized as migrant “transformative resilience” to investigate how immigrant communities simultaneously adapt and cope with host society conditions while resisting unequal relations of power. Through exploring immigrant transformative resilience, we aimed to document and build knowledge about institutional supports and resources that enabled immigrant communities to organize successful collective civic actions to advance equality.
Research Objectives:
- Investigate how and why immigrant communities mobilize collectively against root causes associated with challenges and adversities they face
- Document impacts from these collective actions on immigrant communities
- Build knowledge about institutional supports and resources that can strengthen collective civic action among immigrant communities.
Timeline
- Stage 1 (January to March 2019):
- Community consultations were conducted to identify and engage immigrant groups who are involved in collective action to address systemic inequalities. The three community groups of focus that were identified include the Filipino, South Asian, and Tibetan communities throughout the GTA.
- Exploratory literature review were also conducted to assess the level and types of literature on how immigrant groups respond to systemic stressors and inequities, with attention to the relationship between resilience and resistance.
- Stage 2 (April to June 2019):
- Semi-structured individual interviews with key stakeholders who are immigrant leaders that are or have been involved/impacted by collective actions and/or knowledgeable about institutional resources and supports for civic actions.
- Focus group discussions with groups of participants who are or have been involved in collective action that seeks to challenge or undo systemic inequities facing immigrant communities.
- Stage 3 (July to September 2019):
- Developed a best practices resource highlighting how government and service providers can better support collective civic action among migrant groups.
- Organized an Action Forum focused on how government and community agencies can better support migrant groups in collective civic action and policy decision making process.
Principal Investigators:
- Yogendra Shakya, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Access Alliance
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
- Rupaleem Bhuyan, PhD, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-investigators:
- Rupaleem Bhuyan (University of Toronto)
- John Shields (Ryerson University)
- Margaret Walton-Roberts (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Project Coordinator:
- Andrea Bobadilla, MSc, PhD(c)
Community Partners:
- Alejandra Bravo, Director of Leadership and Training, Broadbent Institute
- Martha Ocampo, Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization (CCESCO)
- Seher Shafiq, Program Manager, DiverseCity Fellows, CivicAction
- Flor Dandal, Executive Director, Kababayan
- Tina Edan, Lead Maytree Policy School, Maytree Foundation
- Sajedeh Zahrei, Senior Policy and Research Coordinator, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
- Zahra Ebrahim, Co-Founder, Community Design Initiative
- John Beebe, Senior Advisor, Faculty of Arts, Ryerson University
- Beth Wilson, Senior Researcher, Social Planning Toronto
- Sultana Jahangeer, Executive Director, South Asian Women’s Rights Organization (SAWRO)
- Tashi Kuyee, Vice President, Tibetan Women’s Association of Ontario (TWAO)
- Rinchen Dolma, Organizing Member, Tibetan Women’s Association of Ontario (TWAO)
- Mike Morden, Research Director, The Samara Centre for Democracy
- Brenda Roche, Director of Research, Wellesley Institute
- Kofi Hope, Senior Policy Advisor, Wellesley Institute
- Michaela Hynie, Professor, York University
- Anjum Sultana, Manager of Policy & Strategic Communications, YWCA
- Bhuyan, R. (2022). Lessons on Transformative Resilience from Migrant-Led Collection Action [Invited Keynote] presented at 1st Congrès international L’ÉDIQ, l’Université Laval, à Québec. June 8, 2022.
- Bhuyan, R. & Leung, V. (2021). Is migrant resilience a civic responsibility: A framing analysis of “resilience” in City of Toronto and Ontario integration policies. Building Migrant Resilience in Cities, Toronto, ON.
- Chime, T., Bhuyan, R., Alam, A., and Bobadilla, A. (2021). Lessons on transformative resilience from migrant collective action in Toronto. Building Migrant Resilience in Cities/Immigration et résilience en milieu urbain (BMRC/IRMU). Toronto.
- Promoting Migrant Resilience through Collective Action: Understanding how collective action among migrant communities impacts on resilience
- Promouvoir la résilience des migrants par l’action collective : Comprendrecomment l’action collective de ces communautés influe sur la résilience
- Bhuyan, R. & Chime, T. (2020). Promoting Migrant Resilience through Migrant-Led Collective Action [Invited lecture]. Research Colloquia, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, December 17, 2020.
- Bhuyan, R. (2019). Promoting Collective Action among Migrant Communities to Address the Structural Violence of Precarious Status and Precarious Work [Invited Presentation]. Gender-Based Violence Work in Context: Learning Network Forum. Western University, London, ON, October 7, 2019.
- Bhuyan, R. (2019). Fostering Gender Responsiveness in Migration Resilience, Research and Action [Invited Panelist]. Building Migrant Resilience in Urban Cities, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, ON April 11, 2019.
- Bhuyan, R. (2019). Migrant rights in Canada—Resisting racism, seeking justice [Invited Panelist]. Urban Alliance for Race Relations, Toronto City Hall, March 21, 2019.
