TORONTO, March 6, 2003 -- Canadian and international scholars are meeting at York University March 7-8, to examine the changing behaviour of immigrant communities in the new global economic order.
"Global communications technology has made it possible for immigrants to organize and act across borders, and the scope of transnational social and political activities among Canadian immigrants has also increased ," said Luin Goldring, sociologist at the York Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC). The conference organizers believe that Canada, as a major receiver country for an estimated 150 million migrants worldwide, has a key interest in understanding how migrants continue to have strong links to their homelands.
Research presented at the conference will focus on the transnational activities of Canadian communities originating from Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, including studies of Sri Lankan Tamils, Sikhs, and Filipinos.
"The workshop challenges scholars of Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean to think about how the study of these regions should move outside of traditional geographic boundaries to encompass broader global phenomena," said Peter Vandergeest, director of the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR). "Asian studies is no longer just the study of Asia, but also of people who think of themselves as Asian wherever they are."
Researchers, community groups, non-governmental organizations and policy makers will examine how migrants’ employment in farming, domestic work and the sex trade is part of a set of livelihood strategies that span national borders. They will map out the various ways that migrants get involved in politics in their homelands, investigate how transnational activities are forcing many countries to change their citizenship policies, and draw out the implications of transnational linkages for policy, research, and community organizing.
The conference, The Politics of Transnational Ties, is hosted by YCAR and CERLAC. For program details, visit the Web site at www.yorku.ca/ycar.
-30-
For further information, please contact:
| Prof. Peter Vandergeest | Prof. Luin Goldring | Susan Bigelow |
| YCAR | CERLAC | Media Relations |
| York University | York University | York University |
| 416-736-2100, ext. 88821 | 416-736-2100, ext. 60311 | 416-736-2100, ext. 22091 |
| pvander@yorku.ca | goldring@yorku.ca | sbigelow@yorku.ca |
YU/023/03
