Dual Skepticism amidst the Covid-19 pandemic: unravelling the social connection struggles and adaptation techniques of African newcomer immigrants in St. John's NL


Atinuke Tiamiyu, Memorial University

Social connections undergo significant changes, disruptions, and expansions during migration to a new country. Establishing social connections is crucial for African immigrants in Canada to successfully integrate into their new community. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on African newcomer immigrant’s ability to forge social relationships in Canada. This study examines the difficulties in forming social ties with White people and Newfoundlanders during the Covid-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2022, and the approaches used to overcome these difficulties in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Drawing on insights from 17 semi-structured interviews conducted with African newcomers who migrated between 2018 and 2022, currently residing in St. Johns, NL, the research reveals that establishing social connections presented considerable challenges. These challenges are deeply rooted in cultural ideologies, social dynamics, and historical factors. Different worldviews and socialization, reliance on technology and social media, dual skepticism, the predominance of close-knit friendship networks, age differences, and subtle racism were among their noteworthy difficulties. In the face of these difficulties, African newcomers learned to cope by fostering a mindset that thrives independently of social connections, overcoming predefined labels, forming friendships with older individuals, normalizing covert racism, and embracing their status as strangers and second-class citizens. These findings have implications for policy regarding the recruitment and retention of immigrants in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as highlighting the importance of social connections in the early stages of post-migration integration.

This paper will be presented at the following session: