U.S. War Resisters' Quest for Refuge in Canada: A Comparative Study of Vietnam and Afghanistan/Iraq War Resisters' Migration Experiences

by Sarah J. Grïnendahl

Overview

When U.S. war resisters turned to Canada as refuge during the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan/Iraq Wars, they not only hoped to forestall deployment to a combat zone but also to build new lives and make a new home abroad. In her empirical study, Sarah J. Grünendahl explores and juxtaposes how well the two war resister 'generations' have been able to establish themselves after all and to what extent they partake in Canadian society.

The comparison is instructive for migration and refugee studies altogether: The war resisters in the sample, unlike many other migrant populations, did not have to contend with language and cultural barriers in their destination country, given similarities between the United States and Canada. Sarah J. Grünendahl's research thus allows for an analysis of the effects of residency on migrants' adaptation and participation in the receiving society, isolated from these two common barriers. Further, the study sheds light on how refugees and non-citizens canemploy civic engagement to claim a place for themselves and overcome societal exclusion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783658378394
Publisher:	Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
Publication date:	08/31/2022
Series:	Studien zur Migrations- und Integrationspolitik
Edition description:	1st ed. 2022
Pages:	297
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

About the author

Sarah J. Grünendahl is research assistant at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf and earned her doctorate in Political Science at the University of Siegen. Her research interests include migration and refugee studies, the effects of legal status on migrants' incorporation, and the nexus between societal participation, place (attachment) and identity.

Table of Contents

Introduction.- Migration.- Citizenship.- Belonging.- South of the 49th Parallel: United States.- North of the 49th Parallel: Canada.- ‘The World’s Longest Undefended Border:’ Canada-U.S. Relations.- Methodological Selection.- Study.- The Vietnam War Resisters.- The Afghanistan/Iraq War Resisters.- Discussion.- Coclusion.