A book launch for Twice Migrated, Twice Displaced by Professor Tania Das Gupta at the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies will take place Thursday, March 24 at 12:30 p.m.
The book explores the lives of twice-migrated Gulf South Asians who arrived in the Greater Toronto Area from India and Pakistan through Persian Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Drawing on in-depth interviews, Das Gupta reveals the multiple migration patterns of this unique group and the class, gender, racial and religious discrimination they have encountered. She analyzes themes such as class mobility, the formation of transnational families and identities in a post-9/11 context. More broadly, she asks how the Canadian labour market affects transnationalism and if immigrants are being strategic in their use of step migration and transnational living practices.
“Readers of the book will see the continuing struggles that many highly educated and skilled racialized professional workers (engineers, doctors, accountants, IT professionals and teachers) face when they land in Canada. On the one hand, they are welcomed into the country. On the other hand, they end up underemployed in precarious jobs due to devaluation of degrees, non-recognition of work experience and racial discrimination,” says Das Gupta. “As a result, some households make gendered decisions where men return to transit countries, in this case, the Gulf countries, to recuperate their careers while leaving their spouses and children here in Canada.”
In bridging the gap between academy and practice, Das Gupta's latest book appeals to academic scholars and immigrant and refugee settlement practitioners.
Das Gupta is currently the affirmative action, equity, and inclusivity officer at York University. In addition to her academic work, she has experience in community work with immigrant women and anti-racism and has acted as a consultant for human rights lawyers and nurses groups on numerous cases of racial harassment.
Participants can register for the book launch of Twice Migrated, Twice Displaced here. This event is co-presented by the Global Labour Research Centre and the York Centre for Asian Research at the University. To learn more, participants are invited to connect with Das Gupta (tdasgu@yorku.ca) directly.