Urban Sanctuary and Migrant Solidarity in South Africa and Canada

Cities are key sites for understanding migrant integration and refugee protection around the world. In fact, many cities protect and include inhabitants who are denied legal status by nation states. In Canada and the US, these cities are called “sanctuary cities;” in other countries they have labels such as solidarity cities, cities of refuge, communities of reception, and cities of welcome. Although similar urban initiatives exist in Africa, there has been no coordinated cross-continental comparison of local policies and practices. This Mitacs Globalink Research Award project aims to bridge this gap in the literature through a comparative study of local migrant solidarity practices in Canada and South Africa. The proposed research explores the convivial encounters experienced by migrants across formal and informal urban spaces in Canada and South Africa. In focusing on the informal economy, community-based housing organizations, and transnational actors, this research aims to shed light on how solidarity emerges in the absence state institutions support precarious migrants. This Mitacs Globalink Research project will harness and develop international exchange, and facilitate knowledge mobilization and policy transfer between the Global North and the Global South, where novel approaches to migration and refugee accommodation are explored, tested, and practiced.

Faculty Supervisor:

Harald Bauder

Student:

Partner:

University of the Western Cape

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: