Newcomers' Reflections Toward Building a Fair and Equitable Society: A Film Ethnography Study

• In Event: Critical Literacy for Racial Justice: Cultivating Equity Through Intersectionality

Abstract

In 2019, Canada welcomed 30,000 refugees (The Settlement Outcomes Highlight Report, 2021) and established itself as a world leader in refugee claims. This research ignited a dialogue between newcomer families and school/university partners through which we hoped to reposition newcomers’ narratives, incorporating a social justice framework and addressing issues of inequity, power, and oppression. We aimed to encourage an education system that promotes systemic, fair treatment for all, regardless of race, color or religion. (National Education Association Racial Justice in Education, 2018).

We are aware that often our systems, including education, reinforce cultural and racial inequity, resulting in public policies, institutional practices, and stereotypical ways of being which can prevent the successful transition of many newcomers (Aspen Institute, 2016). The work positioned itself around the following questions: 1) How do newcomer families experience their integration into Canada and into the school system? and 2) How is mental health and wellbeing impacted by resettlement and school integration?

We used an innovative arts-based engagement ethnography (ABEE) (Goopy & Kassan, 2019) designed to meaningfully engage participants in order to capture their cultural practices and social lives in the context of their complex experiences. Participants were initially asked to express their views, experiences, and perceptions using cultural probes (simple items e.g., cameras, journals, sketchbooks, etc.) to help document their educational integration. These were then used to guide individualized qualitative interviews with each family member followed by a family interview. The final phase of the project included the production of a documentary film that was used to open a space for educators to understand newcomers’ perspectives and stories, providing a focus and foundation for the families’ participation.

Preliminary results indicated most families were motivated to share their experiences, and felt positive connections to their family, ethnic community, and their children’s schools. This nurtured a sense of identity, purpose, religious affiliation, solid relationships, belonging and purpose, while fostering their well-being and mental health. As in any group of newcomers, some participants found it difficult to balance the emotional, cultural, societal, and financial pressures of home and community that typically accompany the resettlement experience. Their reactions ranged from misunderstandings of school/cultural expectations to issues of identity, including challenges fitting in with the new community and culture. Interactions among these families expanded on Powell, Heller and Bundalli’s (2011) perspective that views are often shaped by and reflect underlying and hidden structures. These occasionally work together to shape biases and create disparate outcomes whether there exist racist actors or intentions or not.

Theoretical implications stress the importance of examining the intersectionality between newcomers’ school and home experiences to better understand the nature of the challenges and opportunities. The results highlighted the role the school can play in the socioemotional development and social justice-based strategies. Examining from a strength-based, rather than deficit-based, perspective can help educators understand how the call to a just and equitable society might be best developed and nourished.

Authors

• Rahat Zaidi, University of Calgary

• Anusha Kassan, University of British Columbia