Impeded sociability: Racial consciousness and racialized immigrants’ sense of sociable and unsociable places in semi-rural Alberta, Canada
Abstract
This research examines everyday place-based experiences of settlement sociability among racialized immigrants based on the understanding that racial matters are spatial matters. Findings indicate that racialized immigrants felt comfortable in “de-racialized” spaces, where they were temporarily relieved from their ethnic visibility and a sense of being out of place. They were uncomfortable in areas that triggered “racialized insecurity,” where they felt vulnerable because of their racialized identity. The findings of this research call attention to the need for a closer inspection of how places of immigrant settlement and race are inextricably linked. The promotion of settlement sociability needs to go beyond physical proximity to social closeness, valuing co-ethnicity and cultural familiarity, especially in the initial stage of settlement.
Notes
Community organizations: n/a
Integration timeline: Less than 10 years since arrival
Key recommendations:
To facilitate health social connections for newcomers, policies, organizations, private companies and individual neighbourhoods should work together to forge a sense of familiarity and reduce feelings of marginality.
Location: Red Deer, AB
Future research / gaps identified: n/a
Key findings:
Participants felt sociable, safer spaces were ‘de-racialized spaces’ such as settlement agencies, grocery stores with international aisles, and malls.
Participants felt unsociable spaces included public transit, being in spaces with clashing cultural norms, and places with harsh winter weather.
Key populations: Immigrant men ages 27 – 50 years old who have lived in Canada for less than 10 years, and now live in Red Deer, AB.
Open access: No