CERIS MANAGEMENT BOARD MEETING

 

FRIDAY, Feb 28, 2003

2:00 - 4:00 P.M.

At the main CERIS (Toronto) office, 246 Bloor St. W., 5th Floor, Room 548

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CERIS PARTNERSHIP ADVISORY COUNCIL (PAC) MEETING

 

Friday  Jan 30, 2003

1:00 - 3:00 P.M.

 

Thursday  Mar  6, 2003

1:00 - 3:00 P.M

 

At the main CERIS (Toronto) office, 246 Bloor St. W., 5th Floor, Rm. 548

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IMMIGRANT BUSINESSES IN TORONTO: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING CARIBBEAN, KOREAN, POLISH, PORTUGUESE AND SOMALI ENTREPRENEURS

 

DATE:  JAN. 31, 2003 12:00 to 1:30 PM

The CERIS Economic Domain is hosting this lunch-time seminar, and the presenters are:

Dr. Lucia Lo, Dept of Geography at York University and CERIS Economic Domain Leader; Dr. Carlos Teixeira, Dept of Geography at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Marie Truelove, School of Applied Geography at Ryerson University.

 

The three presenters are co-authors of "Cultural Resources, Ethnic Strategies and Immigrant Entrepreneurship: A Comparative Study of Five Immigrant Groups in The Toronto CMA", CERIS Working Paper No. 21, 2002.

 

LOCATION: CERIS (246 Bloor Street West, Room 548, 5^th floor). Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served.

For more information on this seminar, please contact Yuliya Prodaniuk at 416-946-3110

or by email y.prodaniuk@utoronto.ca.

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CONTEMPORARY SOUTH ASIAN IMMIGRATION TO CANADA

DATE: 26 FEBRUARY, 2003 5:00 – 7:00 PM

 

This is the second seminar in the CERIS "development" series and will feature immigration from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The seminar will reveal the socio-political and economic "push" factors that stimulate South Asian emigration and their implications for Canadian public policy and practice.

Among the confirmed speakers are: Mr. Sabin Mukkah, presenting immigration aspects from India; Dr. Mehrunnisa Ali from Ryerson University and CERIS Education Domain Leader, who will be presenting immigration patterns from Pakistan; and Mr. Kazi Hoque, presenting immigration from Bangladesh. Dr. Usha George, Associate Dean at the Faculty of Social Work, the University of Toronto, will be the facilitator.

LOCATION: CERIS (246 Bloor Street West, Room 548, 5^th floor). Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served.

For more information on this seminar, please contact Yuliya Prodaniuk at 416-946-3110

or by email y.prodaniuk@utoronto.ca.

 

For more information, please contact Yuliya Prodaniuk at (416) 946-3110 or by email: y.prodaniuk@utoronto.ca

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IMMIGRANT YOUTH, EDUCATION AND GLOBALIZATION

DATE: 28 FEB. 2003 12:00 – 1:30 PM

 

The CERIS Education Domain is hosting this lunchtime seminar which will address current issues and emerging dilemmas related to the educational and cultural experiences of immigrant youth in Ontario.

The seminar will be presented by Dr. Paul Anisef , Professor at the Department of Sociology at York University and CERIS Associate Director; Dr. Kenise Murphy Kilbride, Professor Emerita and Adjunct Professor at the School of Early Childhood Education at Ryerson University, and CERIS Interim Coordinator; Dr.Daniel Yon, Director of the Graduate Programme in Social Anthropology at York University and author of "Elusive Culture: Schooling, Race and Identity in Global Times (2000)"; and Mr. John Ippolito of York University who recently completed a research study on classroom practices of Ontario teachers working with multilingual students. He is currently teaching at York University and the University of Toronto.

 

Dr. Anisef and Dr. Murphy Kilbride are the co-authors of several publications on newcomer youth, including "The Needs of Newcomer Youth and Emerging ‘Best Practices’ to Meet Those Needs; Between Two Worlds: The Experiences and Concerns of Immigrant Youth in Ontario" (with E. Baichman-Anisef & R. Khattar), and "To Build on Hope: Overcoming the Challenges Facing Newcomer Youth at Risk in Ontario".

 

LOCATION: 246 Bloor Steet West, 3^rd Floor, Room 348. 

Light lunch and drinks will be served. The presentation will be followed by discussion. All are welcome.

For more information, please contact the seminar organizers:

Dr. Mehru Ali by email at: maali@acs.ryerson.ca

or Svitlana Taraban at: svitlana_taraban@edu.yorku.ca .

 

http://ceris.metropolis.net

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SAYING "I" IS FULL OF CONSEQUENCES: REFUGEE WOMEN RECLAIM THEIR IDENTITY: IDENTITY, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION, POLICY.

The Women's Studies Programme, McMaster University and the Settlement and Integration Services of Hamilton (SISO) invite you to this international conference:

WHEN: March 19-21, 2003

WHERE: McMaster University - Hamilton, Ont.

WHAT: This 3 day interdisciplinary and participatory conference will focus on:

Identity, Research and Education, and Policy

Participants are invited to join SISO's 10th anniversary banquet on Friday the 21st

WHO: Keynote speakers:

Joyce Mends-Cole (UNHCR, Geneva)

Maryanne Loughry (Oxford Centre for Refugee Studies)

Madeleine Gagnon: celebrated author of Les femmes et la guerre.

With the participation of the Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage

INFORMATION: http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~wsconf/
or contact: sayingi@mcmaster.ca

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SEMINARS BY YORK CENTRE FOR ASIAN RESEARCH (YCAR)

~~THE ECONOMIC EXPERIENCES OF THE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN TORONTO~~

SPEAKER: Lucia Lo, Department of Geography, York University and CERIS Economics Domain Leader

DATE: 12 March 2003, 2:30 – 4:30 PM

Location: Room 305 York Lanes

Co-Sponsor: Centre for Feminist Research, York University

~~ MULTICULTURALISM AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR SOCIAL CONTROL IN SINGAPORE ~~

SPEAKER: Chua Beng Huat, National University of Singapore

DATE: 25 March 2003, 2:30-4:30 PM

Location: Room. 305 York Lanes

Co-Sponsors: Department of Geography (Arts), Department of Sociology, York University

~~INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN TRANSNATIONALISM AND MULTICULTURALISM IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION ~~

SPEAKER: Mandy Thomas, Australian National University

DATE: 26 March 2003, 2:30-4:30 PM

Location: Room. 305 York Lanes

Co-Sponsors: Division of Social Science (Arts), Department of Anthropology (Arts), York University

For further information contact: ycar@yorku.ca

Ste. 270 York Lanes, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3

URL: www.yorku.ca/ycar

 

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The Axel Johnson Foundation of Sweden has organised the 2003 Engelsberg Seminar around the theme; "TOWARDS A COSMOPOLITAN CULTURE? FUTURE CONSEQUENCES OF RELIGION, ETHNICITY AND MIGRATION FOR EUROPE".

DATE: June 13 to 15, 2003

The seminar will examine the trend towards greater ethnic diversity in Europe and consider the demands such trends will make on European societies.

For more information on the conferences,

contact: Louise Belfrage, The Axel Johnson Foundation,

SE- 103 75 Stockholm, Sweden

Tel: 46 8788 5000; Fax: 46 8 788 50 10;

or visit the website of the Axel JohnsonFoundation:

http://www.axsonjohnsonfoundation.org

 

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A conference on LANGUAGE, EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY will be held at the Unviersity of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, from November 26-29, 2003.

This international conference focuses on the impact of increased cultural and linguistic diversity, at both national and supranational levels, and its consequences for the theory, policy and practice of language education. The conference will provide an international forum for academic and policy discussions on diversity and language education.

Speakers confirmed so far include Nancy Hornberger, Glynda Hull, Timoti Karetu and Alastair Pennycook. Details on the conference can be accessed at

http://www.led2003.ac.nz

 

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***** CALL FOR PAPERS AND PROPOSALS *****

 

Research and writing grants in global security and sustainability

Deadline for applications: February 3, 2003

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is accepting applications for grants to support research and writing on global security and sustainability, with a focus on either migration and refugees or the relationship between technological change and public policy. Projects that deal with exclusively United States-based topics will not be considered for support, unless the topic has significant international dimensions.

Who is eligible: individual scholars and two-person teams.

Projects related to doctoral dissertations are not eligible for awards.

Total amount to be awarded and number of awards: not specified.

Amount of individual awards: up to $75,000 for researchers working alone and up to $100,000 for two-person collaborations.

View the full text of the announcement on the foundation's Web site:

http://www.macfound.org/programs/gss/gss_guidelines.htm#research_writing

Carolyn Makinson

Executive Director

Center for International Studies

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

292 Main Street, Room E38-652

Cambridge, MA 02142

phone: 617-253-9861

fax: 617-253-9330

email: makinson@mit.edu

 

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8th International Metropolis Conference

in Vienna, Austria, September 15 - 19, 2003

FINAL CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

Deadline: Feb 15, 2003

The event will focus on the opportunities created by a responsible and broadly welcoming approach to migration for both receiving and sending societies. Rather than formulating the policy agenda from a problem-driven perspective, a very different management of migration will result from policies that embrace economic growth, positive demographic change and cultural diversity.

Please e-mail your workshop proposals to the conference secretariat until February 15, 2003 at the latest, according to the workshop template:

http://www.international.metropolis.net/events/vienna/workshop_proposal_e.htm

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MULTICULTURAL DAYS CONFERENCE

CALL FOR PAPERS

DEADLINE: 16 FEBRUARY 2003

The Multicultural Days Conference, hosted by Brock University from June 27-28, 2003, invites papers that address four topic areas. The topic areas are:

(1)Immigration and Acculturation,

(2) Immigrant Experiences,

(3)Discrimination & Racism, and

(4) Combating Racism – Educating our Youth.

Submissions will also be accepted as general issues in multiculturalism and may include but are not limited to: First Nations research, Medical/Health research, patterns of movement research, economic research, and policy research.

Bringing together interested scholars from across Canada and from many different disciplines, this conference will foster knowledge exchange and provide opportunities for collaboration.

Abstracts for paper and poster presentations will be accepted. Papers will be grouped together in sets of five papers under one of the four topic areas or under general issues. Symposia submissions will also be considered. All submissions will be peer-reviewed. Graduate students and junior researchers are strongly urged to submit. The abstracts from the conference will be complied and provided to participants as a resource. Some contributors will be invited to contribute to a scholarly publication that will feature articles on recent Canadian research on the four topic areas.

Please send a 350-word abstract and a 100-word biographical sketch on or before February 16, 2003. Details on the conference and the types of submission are available at:

www.multiculturaldays.ca.

Submissions may be submitted on-line at www.multiculturaldays.ca or by mail to the address listed below. On-line submissions are preferred.

Questions about the conference may be directed to:

Dawn Zinga

Department of Child and Youth Studies

Brock University

500 Glenridge Avenue

St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1

905-688-5550, ext. 3152

fax: 905-641-2509

e-mail: dzinga@brocku.ca

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MODES OF GLOBALIZATION: PAST TRAJECTORIES AND PRESENT CONJUNCTURES

A York Political Economy (YPE) Student Conference

DATE: May 2 & 3, 2003 - York University, Toronto

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS: 28 FEBRUARY 2003

In a very short time, the term ‘globalization’ has joined a family of terms promoted enthusiastically throughout the political spectrum.  Joining abstractions like ‘liberty’ and ‘justice’, the word simultaneously shapes understandings of capitalist expansion, while being reproduced by this very process.  Hundreds of thousands have marched through the world’s cities against aspects of it, while George Bush Jr. confronts such critics as "no friends of the poor."  Indeed, Karl Marx’s observation that capitalism had "merged all markets into one world market" now falls on listeners who cannot agree what globalization really is, or even what it should be.

The York Political Economy (YPE) Student Conference is an interdisciplinary endeavour of the historical and the contemporary.  Analysis and critique will shift between the politics of everyday life and those of the global economy.

Topics will include, but will not be limited to, the political economy of state restructuring, crisis, counter-movements, international migration, militarism and violence, culture and media, development, and salient theoretical issues (such as value theory).  

This project follows in the tradition of York’s Politics Department by tracing out a contested, globalizing process of the material and the ideological, traversing class, gender, ethnicity and other terrains of the socio-political world.

Please email an abstract and bibliography (two pages or less) to ypega@yorku.ca

A degree of assistance with transportation and accommodation will be available for presenters.

 

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For more information about the conference, please visit the Association’s website: www.ucalgary.ca/CESA

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REVISITING PERSONAL IS POLITICAL: IMMIGRANT WOMEN’S HEALTH PROMOTION

CERIS Health Domain Leader Nazilla Khanlou is one of the co-investigators of this inter-disciplinary joint venture between Women’s Health in Women’s Hands (WHIWH) and the Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. The research team consists of the principal investigator, Denise Gastaldo, co-investigators: Dr. Khanlou, Notisha Massaquoi, Deone Curling and research coordinator, Amoaba Gooden.

The objectives of the research are to: (1) illustrate the resources and strategies immigrant women employ in order to promote their own mental health; (2) explore how being an immigrant shapes the power relations in which women are engaged in their everyday lives, (3) describe how gender roles and relationships influence the degree of control immigrant women have over their lives, and (4) examine the concepts of individual and collective empowerment as simultaneously key elements for health promotion and as discourse for self-care and the care of others.

Phase one of the project is well underway. Focus groups have been conducted with immigrant women at LINC classes and at WHIWH.

CERIS as a community partner allows the project to have access to a broad range of communication channels while ensuring that the project finds effective means of disseminating findings at the end of the research.

 

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ARTICLE ON UKRAINIAN IMMIGRATION

The seminar on Contemporary Ukrainian Immigration to Canada took place on Wednesday January 22, 2003 at CERIS. The two speakers who were present, Professor Victor Satzewich, Department of Sociology, McMaster University, Hamilton, and Mr. Ewhen Duvalko, Executive Director, Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society, Toronto, presented the theoretical and historical context for their study on recent immigrants from Ukraine and a few of the Canadian immigration policy implications stemming from the results of this study.

Prof. Satzewich presented a brief, and preliminary overview of some of the findings from the study on the Fourth Wave of Ukrainian Immigration. The study focused on 4 broad issues: 1) the relationship between the settled ethnic Ukrainian community in Canada and new Ukrainian immigrants; 2) the extent to which Ukrainians express their ethnicity; 3) barriers in finding work in Canada; and 4) the role of ethnic networks and the ethnic economy in the employment of recent immigrants.

According to Statistics Canada, Ukraine ranks 15^th as a source country of immigrants to Canada. In total, approximately 24,000 Ukrainians arrived in Canada from 1991. Of these, 66% arrived in the skilled worker class, 26% were family class immigrants, and 4% were refugees. Unlike the previous 3 waves of immigrants who settled mostly in the Prairies, especially in Alberta and Manitoba, immigrants from the Fourth Wave have settled mostly in the 3 largest Canadian cities: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, with 13,000 in the GTA alone.

The study has shown that new Ukrainian immigrants have a very low participation level in Canadian Ukrainian organizations. Nevertheless, they attach a relatively high importance to maintaining their Ukrainian culture, and their children’s attendance at Ukrainian schools is very high; more immigrants from Ukraine continue speaking Ukrainian at home after having lived in Canada for four years than Russian, for example.

As far as employment barriers are concerned, 80% of respondents found it difficult to obtain jobs in Canada because of their lack of proficiency in English, lack of Canadian contacts, and difficulty in getting their educational and professional credentials recognized. The role that ethnic networks play in finding the first job in Canada is very high, but it tends to decline for subsequent jobs. On a more positive note, the study has shown that 89% of new Ukrainian immigrants were able to find full-time employment within a 4-year span, although this figure does not imply employment in their field. Of this 4^th wave of immigrants, 22% have purchased their homes; this is an indication both of their own stability and of the level of their contribution to the Canadian economy.

Since immigration is seen as an economic force for Canada, the following are possible implications for Canadian immigration policy:

- even though insufficient English is seen as a barrier to successful settlement in Canada, 50% out of the 80% for whom insufficient English was indeed an initial barrier reported that their English improved sufficiently in four years for them to function and find work. Thus an initial lack of language proficiency is not necessarily a long-term barrier for successful settlement, so high levels of language proficiency need not be required of immigrants, while support for language learning should be continued and enhanced;

- their ability to obtain Canadian work experience and Canadian contacts after arrival indicates that these can be built up within a short period of time when immigrants have a receiving community here to assist them, so programs for such community building and outreach should be supported;

- a significant number of businesses established by new Ukrainian immigrants is built around ties to the economy in the Ukraine, including their engaging in trade with Ukraine. Business acumen and contacts with their homeland can lead to immigrants’ successful economic settlement in Canada as well as to improved international trade for Canada, so the start-up of immigrant businesses should be supported by the government.

 

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