The Citizenship and Social, Cultural and Civic Integration domain explores issues of immigrant identity, belonging and civic engagement. It examines practices and policies related to citizenship and belonging, acknowledging that questions of citizenship and belonging play out along a number of geographical dimensions (including local, national and transnational) and take various forms (civic engagement, voluntarism, political activism, media and cultural representations, formal citizenship acquisition and actions). The domain promotes examination of a wide variety of social institutions, such as community groups, schools, religious organizations, and informal gathering spaces as important bases for identity and belonging. It also encourages interdisciplinary work, including cultural modes and creative arts representing immigrant and diasporic identity(ies).

Domain Leader:
Dr. Luin Goldring
Associate Professor
Sociology, CERLAC
240B York Lanes
York University
4700 Keele St.
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
 
Tel: 416-736-2100 x 60311
Fax: 416-736-5737
goldring@yorku.ca

Economic and Labour Market Integration

The economic integration of immigrants is a fundamental component of the settlement process. Research in this domain focuses on: the ways in which immigrants’ skills, credentials and work experience are evaluated in the Canadian labour market; the career trajectories and workplace experiences of immigrant employees; economic outcomes for immigrants, including the incidence and causes of immigrant poverty; the role of immigrant entrepreneurship as a source of employment and wider economic growth; and, the role of various institutions, such as governments, regulatory bodies, immigrant service agencies and unions, as intermediaries in immigrants’ economic integration. Processes beyond the workplace, such as gendered domestic roles and transnational familial commitments, are seen as important contexts for understanding the experiences of immigrants in Canadian labour markets. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, research in this domain will help to inform policy-makers, academics, professional service providers, and community organizations working in areas such as career and job search counseling, human resource management, poverty alleviation, training and skills development, and immigration policy formulation.

Family, Children and Youth

Immigration and settlement experiences impact not just individuals but entire families, including children, youth, women and men. Research in this area will focus on how immigration and settlement experiences affect familial relationships and processes, how formal and informal educational, social, economic and political opportunities and barriers affect the integration of newcomers and their children in Canadian society. Issues related to race, gender, religion, socio-economic location, culture, and legal status, particularly with a focus on children, youth and families, will be explored. Research in this domain will help to inform policy-makers, academics, professional service providers, and community leaders working in areas such as child-care, family supports, participation of families in schooling and healthcare, youth engagement, maintenance of cultural and linguistic heritage, and language training.

Health and Well-being

A growing body of research supports the key role of social and environmental determinants in people’s health and well-being. The CERIS Health and Well-being Domain will focus on exploring and examining factors and processes specifically related to the health and well-being of newcomers, immigrants, refugees, and populations with precarious immigration status. Attempts will be made to disentangle the intersections of gender, socioeconomic opportunities and challenges, social integration, and health and social systems responses to the changing demographics of different waves of migrants. Among its goals will be to contribute to policy, practice, research, and education in relation to 1) improving mental, physical, and social health outcomes of individuals, groups, and communities through multi-systems and cross-sectoral initiatives, 2) enhancing access to health promotion, prevention, and care systems, 3) recognizing the public health and global health context of people’s health and well-being, 4) contributing to new and innovative health and well-being approaches. The CERIS Health and Well-being Domain’s vision of health and well-being is influenced by multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Health researchers from other Metropolis centres and researchers from other domains are welcome to affiliate with the CERIS Health and Well-being Domain.

Domain Leader:
Dr. Laura Simich
Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Anthropology
University of Toronto
Social Equity and Health Research, CAMH
455 Spadina Avenue, Suite 300 (3rd Fl)
Toronto, ON M5S 2G8

Tel: 416-535-8501 x 7618
Fax: 416-979-0564  
laura_simich@camh.net
 

Justice, Policing and Security

Justice and security is a core component of successful settlement in democratic societies. A just society respects the rights not only of its citizens -- but all those living within its boundaries. Research conducted in this domain will focus on the development and administration of Canadian law and policy in light of recent immigration patterns; the impact that law and legal policy have on immigrant settlement experiences; and the treatment of immigrants and racial/ethnic groups by Canada’s legal institutions including the police, the courts and corrections; and diverse factors influencing perceptions of security and justice within Canada’s communities. The domain welcomes research about immigration policies and practices and their interaction with other legal systems; immigrants’ knowledge of and access to justice within Canada; and immigrant victimization and the impact of hate crime on racial/ethnic communities. Research about crime and security threats related to immigration and the impact of law and justice on processes of media representation, social cohesion, marginalization and radicalization is also a priority.

Domain Leader:
Dr. Ron Levi
Assistant Professor
Centre of Criminology
14 Queen's Park Crescent
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON M5S 3K9

Tel: 416-978-7124 x 237
Fax: 416-978-4195
ron.levi@utoronto.ca

Welcoming Communities: Building Capacity in Regions, Cities, and Neighbourhoods

This domain explores Canadian society's capacity to welcome, integrate and retain immigrants, refugees and minorities in urban and rural regions, small and large cities and different neighbourhoods. The absorptive capacity of Canadian communities and the local characteristics that attract immigrants to settle outside Canada's major metropolitan areas in second and third tier cities, rural areas, and remote regions are of particular interest. The causes, merits, and impacts of newcomers' residential concentration for newcomers also warrant investigation. Research exploring the key role of housing in settlement processes, specifically the importance of access to affordable housing is also welcome. Research identifying key factors (such as healthy neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, public spaces, media representations, public policies and programs) to increase the capacity of communities to recruit, welcome and integrate immigrants is vital for this domain. The effects of immigration, ethnicity and religion on local planning issues, housing and social, economic and political life in neighbourhoods and the role of immigrant-serving institutions are additional areas of domain interest.

Domain Leader:
Dr. Sandeep Kumar Agrawal
Associate Professor
School of Urban and Regional Planning
Ryerson University
350 Victoria St.
Toronto, ON M5B 2K3

Tel: 416-979-5000 x 6767
Fax: 416-979-5357
sagrawal@ryerson.ca