Sociology Commons^™

No. 02: Leveraging Food Remittances For Enhanced Food Security In Urban Africa, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief highlights the critical yet underexplored role of food remittances in enhancing food security across Africa. While global attention has predominantly focused on cash remittances and their economic impacts, food remittances – defined as the transfer of foodstuffs by migrants to their home regions – play a vital role in ensuring the availability, accessibility, and stability of food supplies for both rural and urban households. These remittances help bridge the food security gap between urban and rural areas, with food produced in rural regions supporting the nutritional needs of family members in cities. The reciprocal flow of resources, …

No. 01: Mitigating The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Migrants And Food Security In The Global South, Sujata Ramachandran, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities among migrants, particularly those involved in South-South migration, leading to heightened risks of poverty, food insecurity, and marginalization. The pandemic disrupted global migration patterns, hindered access to essential services, and severely impacted the livelihoods of millions of migrants. Governments in the Global South faced the dual challenge of mitigating these impacts while fostering inclusive recovery strategies. This policy brief provides recommendations for governments to address the immediate and long-term challenges posed by the pandemic on migration and food security, as well as planning for future pandemics. Key areas include enhancing social protection, ensuring healthcare …

No. 01: South Africa At War: Food Insecurity, Migrant Exclusion And Covid-19 Policies, Jonathan Crush, Sean Sithole

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The policy audit critically examines the South African government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on the militaristic enforcement of lockdowns and the resulting food insecurity and exclusion of migrant populations. The report aims to inform policy-makers about the impacts of these policies and provide recommendations for crisis management.

On 27 March 2020, South Africa imposed a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19. This lockdown, enforced by the police and the military, was characterized by stringent measures including curfews, bans on inter-provincial travel, and the closure of non-essential businesses. These measures, while necessary to control the pandemic, …

No. 25: Responses To Covid-19 By Internal Migrants In South African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Maria Salamone, Zack Ahmed

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper explores the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on internal migrants in the urban centres of Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Focusing on the socio-economic and livelihood challenges faced by this population, the research utilizes a survey conducted in 2023 to investigate how the pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. Results highlight significant disruptions in employment, increased economic hardship, and heightened health risks among migrants, particularly those living in low-income neighbourhoods. Despite the hardships, very few migrants intended to permanently return to their rural origins, indicating a complex interplay between economic necessity and pandemic-induced constraints. The findings underscore the unique challenges …

No. 24: Food And Health Security Among Burmese Migrant Domestic Workers In Singapore Amid Myanmar’S ‘Triple Crisis’, Brenda Yeoh, Franchesca Morais, Theodora Lam, Kristel Acedera, Bittiandra Chand Somaiah

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Migrating overseas to work as domestic workers is an increasingly important livelihood strategy for capital-poor women in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in Myanmar has highlighted the entrenched precarities and uncertainties attached to this migration strategy. The health crisis has further heightened the importance of remittances and food security for migrants and their sending households. Food production, food systems and access to food supplies in the country have been especially hit by political instability, the energy crisis and inflation. This paper explores issues concerning the food and health security of female …

No. 26: Pandemic Precarities And Remittance Narratives In The Global South, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has been referred to as a great disruptor of global migration leading to a crisis of immobility caused by public health lockdowns, closed borders, and the suspension of visa processing. Layoffs and retrenchments of migrant workers led to widespread hardship and an intensification of pre-pandemic precarity, as well as disrupted remittance channels and flows. Against this backdrop, the paper provides an overview of current debates about the relationship between COVID-19 and international migration in the context of South-South migration. We assess how pre-pandemic South-South migration flows were disrupted by the pandemic and the evidence for a crisis …

No. 23: Enforcement And Exclusion: Covid-19 Policies, Urban Migrants, And Food Insecurity In Pandemic South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Sean Sithole

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

On March 5th, 2020, South Africa recorded its first official case of COVID-19 when a South African tourist returning from a holiday in northern Italy tested positive. The number of excess deaths is now over 300,000. The policy response to the pandemic is widely regarded as amongst the most draconian in Africa. In 2020, the government imposed a stay-at-home lockdown for 100 days, which was strictly enforced by armed police and the army. Breach of lockdown was a criminal offence and arrests were widespread. By April 2021, over 400,000 had been apprehended, more than in any other country globally. In …

No. 21: Refugee Migration And Urban Food Security: Somali Migrants In Nairobi, Kenya, Zack Ahmed, Jonathan Crush, Samuel Owuor, Elizabeth Onyango

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper investigates the relationship between refugee migration and urban food security, focusing on Somali migrants in Nairobi, Kenya. Despite the abundance of literature on urban refugees and their economic integration, scant research has addressed their food security challenges. Utilizing a household survey conducted in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood, the paper explores the levels, determinants, and spatial variations of food security among Somali refugees. Findings reveal that while migration to Nairobi generally improves food security compared to conditions in Somalia, substantial disparities exist within the refugee population, with a significant portion still facing severe food insecurity. Factors such as household type, …

No. 22: Migrant Remittances, Food Security And Multi-Local Households: Ghanaian Labour Migration To Qatar, Bernard Owusu, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper investigates the impact of migrant remittances on food security among multi-local households within Ghana and Qatar, focusing on the experiences of Ghanaian labour migrants. Through a mixed-methods approach comprising household surveys in Ghana and in-depth interviews with migrants in Qatar conducted from March to June 2023, the paper explores how remittances influence the food security status of recipient households and the socioeconomic conditions of migrants. The findings suggest that remittances play a critical role in enhancing household food security in Ghana by enabling better access to food and improving dietary diversity. Migrants prioritize sending money for basic needs, …

No. 20: Informal Cross-Border Traders And Food Trade During The Pandemic In Zimbabwe, Abel Chikanda

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy in the 2000s resulted in the country relying largely on food imports from other countries, especially from South Africa. Informal cross-border traders have become crucial players in the country’s food economy, playing an important role in the importation of food as well as its retail across the country. Cross-border trading also provides employment opportunities to a large number of people in the country, especially women in an environment of depressed economic opportunities. The paper first uses data from a survey conducted by the Southern African Migration Program (SAMP) in 1997, 2007 and 2014 to document …

No. 19: Covid-19, Food Insecurity And South Sudanese Urban Refugees In Nairobi And Nakuru, Kenya, Cherie Enns, Samuel Owuor, Abbey Lin, Natasha Knebelow, Jacqueline Fanta, Cobby Achieng, William Kolong, Kristin Swardh

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The challenges and struggles of refugees are well documented, mainly within refugee camps. However, more needs to be documented and understood about the exertions and hardships of urban refugees, including the experiences of young South Sudanese urban refugees living in Kenya. Although Kenya is one of the major countries that hosts refugees from South Sudan, it has adopted disparate policies for refugees in camp settings and those outside the camps. This divergent approach placed urban South Sudanese refugee youth in highly precarious circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rampant food insecurity for refugee youth was one of the key negative consequences. …

Amadeusz’S Prosper: Effective Reintegration Of Adults Facing Firearm-Related Charges In Ontario, Canada, Ardavan Eizadirad, Tina-Nadia Gopal Chambers, Sheena Blake Brown

Education Faculty Publications

This study evaluates the impact of Amadeusz’ Prosper program which supports individuals with firearm-related charges between the ages of 18 to 29 in Ontario, Canada. Prosper offers intensive case management through caseworkers who co-create tailored support plans with participants based on their immediate needs and long-term goals. The program supports individuals during incarceration and post-release once back in community. This study engaged 44 participants through interviews conducted between October 2022 and April 2023. Participants included program beneficiaries (n=29), family members (n=8), community partners (n=4), and caseworkers (n=3). Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory paradigms were applied as part of data analysis …

No. 18: Refugee Protection And Food Security In Kampala, Uganda, Andrea M. Brown

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This study proposes strategies to better recognize and protect the food security needs of Kampala’s refugee population. Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee host, with a policy approach that has been widely lauded for its flexible settlement provisions and commitment to durable solutions. However, growing refugee populations and underfunding have led to serious pressures, severely exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity in designated refugee settlements is at critical levels: 75% of residents are food insecure. One unique aspect of Uganda’s refugee governance approach is the allowance of refugee populations to self-settle outside of designated camps, in the capital city, Kampala. …

Impact Of Race And Culture Assessments (Ircas) In Combatting Anti-Black Racism And Reducing Recidivism, Ardavan Eizadirad, Greg Leslie

Education Faculty Publications

The Gladue report, named after R. v. Gladue, is a landmark Supreme Court of Canada case which emphasizes the need to consider unique circumstances faced by Indigenous individuals when determining appropriate sentences. Given the overrepresentation of Black identities at all levels in the justice system, it is argued that the use of pre-sentencing reports referred to as Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCAs), also needs to be comprehensively implemented for Black offenders in Canada. IRCAs are pre-sentencing reports that help sentencing judges better understand the effect of poverty, marginalization, racism, and social exclusion on the offender and their life …

No. 17: South-South Migration, Pandemic Precarity, And The Informal Food Sector In South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The analysis of COVID-19 pandemic precarity in Africa should focus on the ways in which pre-pandemic migrant vulnerabilities were reconfigured in ways that weakened economic resiliency and reinforced disadvantage. This is the first paper to apply the concept of pandemic precarity to the impact of COVID-19 on migrants working in the informal food sector of African cities. The paper develops a new method for measuring pandemic precarity and applies this to data from a 2021 survey of migrant-owned informal food enterprises in the city of Cape Town. The Informal Pandemic Precarity Index (IPPI) and Informal Pandemic Precarity Scale (IPPS) are …

No. 15: International Migration And Food Insecurity In Urban Namibia, Lawrence Kazembe, Godfrey Tawodzera, Ndeyapo Nickanor

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Food security and migration have emerged as key development challenges in Namibia. Internal migration, where people move from rural areas to urban centres such as the capital, Windhoek, has been given a great deal of research and policy attention. However, there is a dearth of research on the relationship between international migration and food security in the country. This paper aims to fill this gap by investigating the nexus between international migration and household food security in Windhoek. Drawing on data from a city-wide household food security survey of the city, the paper compares the food security status of international …

No. 14: Food Insecurity And Irregular Labour Migration From Northern Malawi To South Africa, Anil Dhakal

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The factors influencing migration decisions from Malawi to South Africa have changed with the end of contract migration to the mines and the new normal of irregular migration of both men and women to work in other sectors of the South African economy. Food insecurity is now one of the main drivers of migration as migrants seek to earn income to remit to family in Malawi to purchase food and to invest in agriculture. Food insecurity is normally associated with rural households, but this paper shows that it is also a driver of migration to South Africa from urban Malawi. …

Issue 21: Temporary Shelter To Permanent Home: Advancing Permanent Residency For Ukrainian Refugees In Canada, Marika Jeziorek

International Migration Research Centre

The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, initiated in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, has provided temporary refuge to a significant number of Ukrainian nationals. While this program has been effective in addressing immediate safety needs, its temporary nature falls short of ensuring the long-term stability and socio-economic integration of Ukrainian refugees into Canadian society. Unlike Convention Refugees, who are individuals granted permanent residency in Canada because they have been recognized as needing protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, …

Exit Through The Giftshop: Claims-Making And The Construction Of A Countercultural Brand, Cecil Mcglynn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Independent, online microcelebrity influencers are increasingly many people’s source of news. A popular group of these influencers, called the Alternative Influence Network (AIN) has come under scrutiny in recent years for collaborating with radical, far-right political actors to advance particular viewpoints (Lewis, 2018). While those within the AIN claim these outputs represent their freedom of speech, some researchers have voiced concern around the possibility of these influencers proliferating or even popularizing radical political ideals. Steven Crowder is among the most popular influencers in the AIN. He performs a daily show, ‘Louder with Crowder’, to his 5.8 million YouTube subscribers. In …

Dancing Around And Through Harm: Examining The Lived Experiences Of Women Of Colour With Gender-Based Violence In The Toronto & Kitchener-Waterloo Latin Dance Communities, Lexi Salt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Given the systemic nature of gender-based violence in Canada, as well as the increasing popularity of Latin dance, it is important to better understand the particular and culturally-specific ways gender-based violence manifests itself within the Latin dance community. This research study examines the lived experiences of women of colour with gender-based violence in the Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo Latin dance communities. Two groups of participants took part in semi-structured interviews: 14 women of colour dancers, and six “Power Players”, leaders in the Latin dance community who are in a position of power (e.g., instructors, organizers, DJs). The data was analyzed using …

"Better Equipped"? Examining The Role Of Social Work In Clinical Countering Violent Extremism, David Yuzva Clement

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Hate and violent extremism persist in communities, online environments, and societies across the globe. In addition to their most violent expressions, including hate crimes, extremist and terrorist violence, these phenomena wield severe negative, detrimental, traumatic, and intergenerational impacts. Grounded in evidenced-based policy, comprehensive prevention and intervention efforts, as well as the transfer of knowledge across scientific disciplines, a whole-of-society approach is fundamental to prevent and counter hatred, violence, and extremism. Although violent radicalization and associated societal problems are advancing at unprecedented speeds, preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) is an emerging intervention field in behavioural health and social sciences. While …

Mainstream Media Portrayal Of Banishment And Nation-Imposed Punishment, Keely Ormond

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

“In a traditional village, we wouldn’t have a teepee with no door on it and throw somebody in there. We wouldn’t cast them out, because banishment meant death. What we had to do was restore relationships” – Ryan Beardy (Thorpe, 2022).

The following project examines the representation of Indigenous traditions, customs, and issues in Canadian mainstream media. Specifically, this project is interested in the portrayal of banishment as an Indigenous practice in Canadian mainstream news outlets. This project is based on an interpretive paradigm informed by grounded theory and concepts of media framing, postcolonialism, settler colonialism and restorative justice. Nineteen …

Protecting Not Protesting: Indigenous People’S Experience, Perceptions, And Motivations Of Land Defending In Canada, Krystene Green

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Indigenous people hold a respectful and reciprocal relationship with the land, which is central to their cultures and societies. However, the appropriation of traditional lands lies at the heart of settler colonialism. This has resulted in a prolonged struggle by Indigenous people and their allies against land dispossession for settler occupation and resource extraction that has shaped historical and contemporary Indigenous land defence movements. This research explores the experiences and challenges faced by Indigenous people who engage in land defence in Canada, focusing on their strategies, resilience and motivations in protecting the land. The study draws on Absolon’s (2010) Indigenous …

Before Showtime, Amy Kaler

The Goose

In this piece of creative nonfiction, I reflect on the experience of having time on my hands in peri-urban spaces that are characterized by transience, liminality, and contingency, while waiting for performance time at youth cheerleading competitions. I describe walking around these places, specifically Las Vegas and Abbotsford (BC). I connect my experience to other accounts of aimless wandering, such as the "derive" of psychogeography, and note the ways in which the exercises of power and potential world-ending catastrophe are present, but latent, in these landscapes. In particular, I consider the historic cold-war threat of a nuclear bomb as well …

“This Is A Book About Relations”: Pollution Is Colonialism By Max Liboiron, Thomas Letcher-Nicholls

The Goose

Book Review of Pollution is Colonialism (2021) by Max Liboiron.

No. 13: Supermarkets In Mexico And The Mexico City Metropolitan Area: Logics Of Territorial Insertion And Socio-Spatial Inequalities, GuéNola Capron, SalomóN GonzáLez Arellano, Linda Moreno

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The paper analyzes the logics of expansion and spatial distribution of supermarkets at three scales: global, national (Mexico), and especially metropolitan (Mexico City), from rich to poor spaces and social categories. It seeks to understand how supermarkets, in a country like Mexico where they initially target mainly the middle class, reproduce or mitigate socio-spatial disparities. We conclude that they are a factor both of mitigation (due to a relatively good distribution in the metropolitan space) and of reproduction of inequalities (due to the segmentation of the offer). In the case of Mexico City, the situation of oligopoly by the company …

No. 12: Rural-Urban Transition And Food Security In India, Chetan Choithani, Abdul Jaleel Cp, S Irudaya Rajan

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

As a growing proportion of world’s population lives in cities and towns, food security is increasingly acquiring an urban character. The locus of food security research and policy agendas has correspondingly expanded from rural areas to include cities and towns in the past few years. However, the dominant discourse on urbanization-food security relationship appears to be shaped by perspectives from the Global North and large cities, and shows a lack of adequate understanding of the urbanization-food security nexus in the small towns of the Global South. This paper aims to correct this bias. With a focus on India where urban …

No. 10: Linking Food Security With Development, Inequality And South-South Migration, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

In this paper, we draw attention to the ignored linkages between food security, inequality, and development with respect to South-South migration. Building on core arguments reflecting on these ties and empirical studies from diverse sending and receiving contexts, we outline five distinctive ways in which these multidimensional relationships and interactions operate. The first aspect assesses how inequality of opportunities and outcomes affects food security to shape migration aspirations and movements. The second aspect discusses how food insecurity in a variety of conflict and crisis circumstances acts as the main determinant and precipitant of forced migration. The third aspect addresses migrant …

No. 11: An Exploratory Study Of The Food Security Of Displaced Venezuelans In Ecuadorian Cities During Covid-19, Taymi Milan, Cheryl Martens

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The displacement of over 7 million Venezuelans is reconfiguring urban contexts in Latin America. Ecuador is the third largest receiving country for Venezuelan migrants. The absence of state migration policies combined with the worsening economic situation across the region has had a significant impact on migrant food security. Although food security and migration have been studied extensively in Latin America, their intersectional relationships remain under-researched. This paper draws on a systematic review and focus group research to analyze the food security conditions of displaced Venezuelans in urban con- texts in Ecuador and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the …

No. 09: Emerging Digital Technologies And Cross-Border Food Remittances Of Zimbabwean Migrants In Cape Town, South Africa, During The Early Covid-19 Pandemic, Sean Sithole, Daniel Tevera, Mulugeta F. Dinbabo

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper examines the emerging unexplored synergies between digital-mobile technologies and cross-border food remittances in Southern Africa. Cell phones and apps or applications for smart mobile devices offer migrants new formal ways of sending food remittances. With large volumes of cash and non-cash items flowing through it, the South Africa-Zimbabwe remittance corridor is a priority market for these new fintech companies. However, recent discussions on digital remittances have focused largely on cash transfers. Similarly, limited attention has been paid to food remittances in the broad discussion on remittances, even though cross-border food transfers are crucial for food and nutrition security …