Negotiating Borders: the „Everyday‟ Encounters of Black African Immigrant Caregivers in Vancouver, British Columbia
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Negotiating Borders: The „Everyday‟ encounters of Black African immigrant Caregivers in Vancouver, British Columbia By Maureen Kihika M.A., Brock University, 2008 B.A. (Hons), Carleton University, 2006 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Maureen Kihika, 2019 Simon Fraser University Summer 2019 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Maureen Kihika Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title: Negotiating Borders: The „Everyday‟ encounters of Black African immigrant Caregivers in Vancouver, British Columbia Examining Committee: Chair: Pamela Stern Assistant Professor Cynthia Patton Senior Supervisor Professor Sociology and Anthropology Michael Hathaway Supervisor Associate Professor Sociology and Anthropology Habiba Zaman Supervisor Professor Gender, Sexuality and Women‟s Studies Kendra Strauss Internal Examiner Associate Professor Labour Studies Gillian Creese External Examiner Professor Sociology University of British Columbia Date Defended/Approved: May 22 2019 ii Ethics Statement iii ABSTRACT Organized around the central question of how transnational migration in a global neoliberal era has left unchallenged the gendered and racialized nature of caregiving work, my dissertation focuses on the experiences of racialized Black African immigrant caregivers in lower mainland Vancouver. In this context, my dissertation evaluates how power relations that are entrenched in social and political constructs of race, ethnicity, class, gender, immigration status etc., - as intersecting networks - administer and reinforce distinctive social inequalities, reproducing hierarchies upon which material and symbolic powers are based. Based on a life-work framework interrogating caregivers‟ sense of belonging, my project identifies and discusses border encounters, as described by Black immigrant caregivers. Largely through discursive covert processes and practices, caregivers described being often singled out, and or assigned less desirable or more dangerous work. Caregivers demonstrated these border encounters through stories and narratives that epitomized their “not quite fitting in” and hence, their contradictory sense of belonging and exclusion. Indicative of the liminal experiences that often pervades the lives of racialized immigrants; these border testimonies belied the principles of a pluralistic multicultural Canada. Centered on the lives and material realities of eight respondents, this feminist ethnography was formulated through anti-racist, Black and feminist intersectional theoretical perspectives. Inspired by these theoretical foundations, the study applies the witness accounts of caregivers to explicate how they navigated isolating encounters. Through a critical re-examination of their own history, which caregivers engaged in by re-formulating social and political factors that determined their lives, my dissertation holds that this group of immigrants sought to transform their sense of selves as empowered and active agents in the work spaces they occupied. Although the caregivers employed critical approaches in negotiating contradictory encounters and resisting isolating experiences, this project finds that racialized and ethnicized social identities remained a salient theme in how the respondents interpreted and made sense of their work-related encounters. iv Keywords: Black African immigrants; caregivers; social reproductive work; transnational migration; identity construction; border encounters v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my partner, Anthony, and the two greatest little boys I will ever know. Tony, Sean and Shane, this project would have never seen the light of day were it not for you, and the sacrifices you have made. Your support in many ways, and love in big and little hugs, went miles. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is unbelievable that this PhD academic journey has come to an end. But as I write this heartfelt gratitude to all who have made my experience in this endeavour worthwhile, I realize it is indeed real. The end has come. As this note of acknowledgement attests, I extend this „big moment‟ to those who, over the years, have brought my dream to life. Special thanks are owed to the caregivers who took part in my study, making this project a reality. I will never forget the sense of unease experienced when I first started thinking through the process of recruiting participants for this work. Many of these concerns were quickly dashed by people who took it upon themselves to connect me to others, setting chain reactions leading to this present moment. To all the caregivers who gave their time and effort, thank you! I hope this dissertation project articulates the message you earnestly entrusted me. To my senior supervisor, Dr. Cindy Patton, no words can capture just how helpful your support has been. Not only have you seen me through the completion of this difficult task, but you have been unwaveringly present right from the start. I am grateful for the encouragement you have offered me and for your consistent support over the years. I thank you for picking up the pieces, literally, when and where my case might have appeared a „lost cause.‟ Your confidence in me has given me a lifetime‟s worth of inspiration and example to live by. I am also indebted to the support and guidance of other members of my committee. Dr. Michael Hathaway, thank you so much for the feedback you have steadfastly provided me with. Your prompts and ideas have motivated me to grapple with understanding the connections and complexities between different groups, in ways that would have otherwise not been as readily apparent to me. Dr. Habiba Zaman, I thank you for your mentorship and guidance. When the beginnings of this journey seemed particularly impossible, you provided me with a sense of reassurance that gave me the fortitude to keep going. Your expedient feedback and support throughout my academic career have helped usher in this moment. I am eternally grateful. vii I owe a tonne of gratitude to my partner, Anthony. In many ways, we have undertaken this journey together. I can never repay the support, patience and kindness you have shown me. Your unfailing thoughtfulness moves me. I am also thankful to Sean and Shane - my not so little boys - who have continued to grow despite the storms that this project has sometimes cast our way. Thank you for making the sacrifice that my student lifestyle demanded – even from the innocence of your childhood, and for refreshing my life. I also extend gratitude to my mom and dad without whose decision to immigrate to Canada this dissertation would never have materialized. I thank you for „lighting my load‟ and taking on arduous responsibilities just to make it possible for me to pursue my academic dream. Dad, your support particularly as I was defining and defending this project‟s proposal prepared me to reach this milestone. Thanks mom and Irene for your repeated visits to Vancouver and all the gifts you bore. These really did make the journey a lot easier and, importantly, fun! Your encouragement and love breathed life to this project. Sincere appreciation to my friends: Jakub Burkowicz who travelled this road before, and whose insights I have always counted and relied upon; Jennifer Thomas, for our writing dyad and peer support which helped formulate some of the ideas behind this work; and Bascom Guffin, for many helpful suggestions on productive writing leading up to this point. Thanks also to Harvey, Julie, Nancy Ngumo, Aunt Eunice, Florence, Susan and all the kind people that showed interest in this work. This research was also funded by a number of grants from the Graduate Studies Department at SFU. The Thesis Completion Fellowship allowed me to dedicate more time to complete writing in the advanced stage of my program. I am grateful for several other Graduate Fellowships and the President‟s Research Stipend which all worked to bring this dissertation to fruition. Thank you! viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval…………………………………………………………………………...ii Ethics Statement………………………………………………………………….. iii Abstract………………………………………………………………………….....iv Dedication……………………………………………………………………….....vi Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………......vii Table of contents…………………………………………………………………...ix List of figures………………………………………………………………………xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………1 1.1. Setting the stage…………………………………………………………….……1 1.1. (a) The personal beginnings of a political project……………………….2 1.2. Getting started …………………………………………………………………..5 1.2 (a) A note on generalized underpinnings………………………………...9 1.4. Thesis……………………………………………………………………………10 1.5. Research Questions……………………………………………………………..10 1.6. Rationale for the Study…………………………………………………………11 1.7. Objective of the study…………………………………………………………..14 1.8. Conceptual parameters………………………………………………………….18 1.8. (a) New Racism…………………………………………………………18 1.8. (b) Black African immigrants…………………………………………...20 1.9. Organization of the Dissertation………………………………………………...21 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH CONTEXT……..26 2.1. Section (1): Black migration in Canada: A history of exclusion………………..26 2.2. Historical background of Black migration in Canada…………………………..27 2.2. (a) First historical period………………………………………………..30 2.2. (b) Second historical period…………………………………………….32