For the Love of 'Home': the Transnational Lives of 1.5 And

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For the Love of 'Home': the Transnational Lives of 1.5 And For the Love of ‘Home’: The Transnational Lives of 1.5 and Second-Generation Ghanaian-Canadians Rita Nketiah A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN GEOGRAPHY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO September 2020 © Rita Nketiah, 2020 Abstract: Second generation transnationalism is a growing subfield in migration studies, which aims to explain the ways in which migrants’ children participate in the homeland environment. This dissertation examines the transnational practices of 1.5 and second generation Ghanaian-Canadian adults using a transnational social field theoretical framework. The project is guided by three core questions: i) What are the sites through which a transnational social field is developed for the 1.5 and second generation? ii) How does the existence of this transnational social field inform the 1.5 and second generation’s desire to return to Ghana? iii) What is the reality of the ‘return experience’ and how are 1.5 and second generation identities, senses of ‘belonging’ and of ‘home’ articulated and/or contextualized in the homeland? Through qualitative interviews with 32 young adults, the project determined that Ghanaian diaspora youth are engaged in a cross-border transnational network, which is first cultivated in childhood through community building practices. Many of the participants in this study continued to negotiate their cultural identities as adults with mixed results. Certainly, while some youth continued to build community among their co-ethnic peers, often times, youth were less active in the traditional cultural spaces that their parents had created. Secondly, those participants who return to the homeland are motivated by a composite range of factors, including emotional longing, resistance to Canadian racism, patriotism, the desire for career advancement and a perception of improved quality of life. In actuality, second-generation returnees confront an intricate social context in the homeland, including the realization of their complex belonging both “here” and “there”. The project argues that 1.5 and second generation Ghanaian-Canadian young adults are engaged in a dynamic and multi-sited negotiation of their cultural identities as a natural consequence of growing up in a transnational social field. For my participants, this negotiation manifested in frequent trips to the homeland, aspirations for homeland return and strategies to preserve their cultural identities in Canada. ii Dedication: To Ghanaian-Canadian youth - past, present and future: I dey for you. Always and in all ways. To each one of my participants: thank you for sharing your stories with me. I hope I have made you proud. iii Acknowledgements This PhD is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Along this journey, there were countless people who helped me get to the finish line. I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Joseph Mensah for his tireless mentorship and support throughout this process. I would also like to thank my entire committee, including internal/external reviewers and my Thesis Defense Chair: Dr. Sylvia Bawa, Dr. Philip Kelly, Dr. Philomina Okeke-Ihejirika, Dr. Gertrude Mianda, and Dr. Patricia Wood. Your comments, guidance and pointed questions were invaluable to my growth as a junior scholar. I would like to thank my parents, who may never see the inside of a university classroom, but are the main reason I was ever able. Mr. Kwame Kyei Nketiah and Mrs. Elizabeth Nketiah, thank you for your continued encouragement and support. To the rest of the Nketiah family, thank you for your continued support. I would also like to thank my Uncle Pastor Kofi Manful for his encouragement over the years. To my extended family members in Ghana, thank you for taking care of me and supporting me with my transition home. I would also like to thank my countless chosen family in Ghana, Canada and across the diaspora whom, on countless nights, mornings and afternoons, encouraged me to continue writing, despite my exhaustion, insecurity or stubbornness. Special mention goes to Frank Lockhart, Dr. Fayola Jacobs, Dr. Shaira Vadasaria, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Famia Nkansa, Kobby Graham, Brandon Hay, Idil Abdillahi, Dr. Evelyn Kissi, Nana Akosua Hanson, Kirstie Kwarteng, Mugo Muna, Abena Offeh-Gyimah, Jessica Opoku-Amoah, and Maame Debrah Achiaa. I would also like to thank the Department of Geography at York University for supporting me through a difficult transition in my academic journey. Your warm welcome gave me the confidence to continue. To my friends and colleagues in the Department of Geography at York University, thank you for contributing to my scholarly journey. I’m very excited for our collective futures! I would like to thank the professors at my alma maters, Western University and University of Toronto. These institutions shaped my scholarly pursuits and personal capacity in ways that I cannot fully ever describe. Had it not been for the intellectual and deeply political work I began in these institutions many years ago, I may not have built the confidence to complete my PhD in the first place. Last, but certainly not least: I would also like to thank each one of my participants who dedicated their time and shared their stories with me. Without you, this dissertation would not have been possible. For those I have not named, please charge it to my head, and not my heart. iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ..................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………….….v Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 4 Habitus and the Transnational Social Field ........................................................................ 9 Children of Immigrants .................................................................................................... 12 Black Canadian Youth ...................................................................................................... 13 The Transnational Second-Generation ............................................................................. 16 Profile of Ghanaian-Canadians ......................................................................................... 17 Rationale .............................................................................................................................. 25 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 31 Organization of Study......................................................................................................... 31 Limitations of this Study .................................................................................................... 33 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Two: Literature Review .................................................................................... 37 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 37 Theorizing Transnationalism ............................................................................................ 37 First Generation Transnationalism ................................................................................... 38 Second-Generation Transnationalism............................................................................... 40 1.5 and Second-Generation Ghanaian-Canadians ............................................................ 46 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................ 55 Intersectionalizing Second Generation Transnationalism .................................................... 56 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 58 Chapter Three: Methodology ......................................................................................... 60 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 60 Transnationalism as Methodology ....................................................................................... 61 Semi-Structured In-Depth Interviews: Prioritizing Lived Experiences ............................... 63 Classifying Participants: Close-ended Demographic Questionnaire ................................... 64 Field Noting as a Method ..................................................................................................... 66 Ethical Considerations.......................................................................................................... 71 Selection Criteria and Recruitment ...................................................................................... 74 Age of Participants
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