(Mis)trusted Contact: Resettlement Knowledge Assets and the Third Space of Refugee Reception

Authors

  • Christopher Kyriakides York University, Canada
  • Arthur McLuhan York University, Canada
  • Karen Anderson York University, Canada
  • Lubna Bajjali York University, Canada
  • Noheir Elgendy York University, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7202/1064817ar

Keywords:

Syrian refugees, Ontario, Canada, private sponsorship, resettlement, knowledge assets, communication, trust, social media

Abstract

Abstract
Drawing on interviews with 204 participants in two studies of privately sponsored refugee resettlement in Ontario, Canada, we explore the resettlement effects of pre-arrival contact on the interactional dynamics between private sponsors and privately sponsored Syrian refugees. Those who had regular pre-arrival contact via digital applications such as Facebook, Skype, and Whatsapp reported more positive, “successful” resettlement experiences than those who had not. This pre-arrival interactive dynamic has theoretical/conceptual implications beyond an understanding of the benefits of “information exchange.” Pre-arrival sponsor-sponsored interaction is not bound by the contexts of displacement or resettlement, but constitutes a “third space” of reception, co-created through trusted contact. We develop the concept of “resettlement knowledge assets” and report on how these assets emerge through pre-arrival trust building, modify the resettlement expectations of both sponsors and sponsored, and reduce resettlement uncertainty.

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Author Biographies

Christopher Kyriakides, York University, Canada

Christopher Kyriakides holds the position of Canada Research Chair in Citizenship, Social Justice, and Ethno-Racialization at York University, Canada. He may be contacted at ckyriak@yorku.ca.

Arthur McLuhan, York University, Canada

Arthur McLuhan is a research fellow at York University and theory division chair of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. He may be contacted at mcluhan@yorku.ca.

Karen Anderson, York University, Canada

Karen Anderson is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, York University. She can be reached at karenand@yorku.ca.

Lubna Bajjali, York University, Canada

Lubna Bajjali is a research associate with the Department of Sociology, York University, Canada. She may be reached at l.bajjali@yorku.ca.

Noheir Elgendy, York University, Canada

Noheir Elgendy is the executive director of Al-Qazzaz Foundation for Education and Development and adjunct professor at Ryerson University. She may be contacted at noheir@gmail.com.

cover image of Refuge special issue on private sponsorship

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Published

2019-09-22

How to Cite

Kyriakides, C., McLuhan, A., Anderson, K., Bajjali, L., & Elgendy, N. (2019). (Mis)trusted Contact: Resettlement Knowledge Assets and the Third Space of Refugee Reception. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 35(2), 24–35. https://doi.org/10.7202/1064817ar

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 2 (2019): Refugee Sponsorship: Lessons Learned, Ways Forward

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2019 Christopher Kyriakides, Arthur McLuhan, Karen Anderson, Lubna Bajjali, Noheir Elgendy

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Refuge authors retain the copyright over their work, and license it to the general public under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License International (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license allows for non-commercial use, reproduction and adaption of the material in any medium or format, with proper attribution. For general information on Creative Commons licences, visit the Creative Commons site. For the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, review the human readable summary.

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