Canada my new home: Exploring the meaning of identity and home. Case study: Syrian refugee women in Ottawa


Leila Hoballah, Lebanese University

Despite the discontent from the “West”, and its hegemonic discourse about immigration and refugees, the use of these concepts and their definitions are adopted and promoted in the academic narrative, and policymaking in the “East”, not confined to international laws and regulations, but at the level of creating the meaning and its representation about the “otherness” of refugees (Derrida 2000, Said 1979). The emanation of Immigration and refugee status, as a new phenomenon in the 20th century, has its deep roots in human history, as a tribal search to settle and survive, and usually identify themselves by belonging to certain place. But the shift one could argue is in changing narrative about this phenomenon, from a discourse of functionality to a discourse of power relation, from what it meant to the immigrant/refugee, to how it is defined by international narrative, and imposed by laws. The purpose of this paper is to uncover new layers of knowledge, and significance of meaning, through personal experiences. This paper will examine the significance of identity and the concept of home, as expressed by Syrian refugee women. It is not about refugee theoretical discourse, pathways, models, or process of integration and inclusiveness, it is about meaning the women attribute to their experiences, as refugees, in everyday life, of what is “identity” and where is “home”. The study will interview 20 Syrian women in Ottawa, who immigrated to Canada between November 2015 and 2023. Those women came from different intermediate countries through their journey from Syria to Canada, as they have been refugees first in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. The sample will take into consideration different ethnicity, Arabs and Kurds, different religion, Islam and Christianity, and various levels of education and social status. From November 2015 to November 2023, Canada has welcomed around 44,655 Syrian refugees (IRCC Data), out of them, 21,755 Female. 10,330 of the Females are 17 years old and under, and 11,425 Females are 17 years old and above. In which they have been resettled in Canada, through different immigration streams; government assisted refugees, blended sponsorship refugees, privately sponsored refugees, and refugee claimant. This exploration aims to contribute valuable insights into the experiences of Syrian refugee women in Ottawa, shedding light on the intricate interplay between identity, home, and the perception of what it means to be a refugee. We think that this paper will add to the present narrative and discourses, a methodological contribution to study the meanings of home and identity, through an ethnographic fieldwork in Ottawa. It will assist in the formation of a counter narrative about refugees, outside of the adopted universal model. The research methodology will include qualitative in-depth interviews, with Syrian refugee women to gather personal narratives, experiences, and reflections on their identity and home. The administration of surveys and questionnaires will help to collect quantitative data, allowing for a broader understanding of trends and commonalities. As well as engaging in participant observation in the community, attending events, and activities to gain a deeper understanding of their daily lives and interactions. This qualitative method will be base on interpretive epistemology, that assumes social reality to be constructed and evolving (Marsh and Stoker, 2002) emphasizes the importance of subjective understanding, context, and meaning in the study of the social world.

This paper will be presented at the following session: