CRS Seminar: Visiting Scholars

Isa Stingl, PhD student at the Department of Geography at University of Zurich, Switzerland
Conflicting Temporalities: Refugees’ Experiences in Accessing the Swiss Labour Market
Time and temporalities, in their various forms and meanings, represent a growing topic of interest among migration and border scholars. Contributing to this debate, this presentation explores how temporal aspects impact on the lived experiences of refugees during their labour market ‘integration’ process. Drawing on biographical interviews with people who were granted asylum or temporary admission in Switzerland, I will show how individual labour market perspectives are shaped and often limited by multiple and at times conflicting temporalities of the migration and integration regime. Among other aspects, the timing and duration of the migration journey, the time spent waiting for an asylum decision, and temporal aspects of the immigration status, all take effect at this stage of the post-arrival experience.
Biography
Isabella Stingl is a third-year PhD student at the Department of Geography at University of Zurich. Her PhD project examines the role of migration and integration policies in shaping the labour market participation of refugees in Switzerland. June to December 2019, she spends as a visiting scholar at the Department of Geography/Centre for Refugee Studies at York University.
Fabio Serrano Pucci, Ph.D. Student at the Department of Sociology at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil
Syrian Newcomers’ Resettlement in Toronto and São Paulo: A Comparative Approach
After the war in Syria, different countries have received Syrian newcomers according to their financial/institutional resources and political agenda. Some of the challenges these countries face in the resettlement process are similar, while others are very specific. This presentation is based on an ongoing Ph.D. research project, which compares the resettlement of Syrian refugees in São Paulo (Brazil) and Toronto (Canada). I base this comparison on three dimensions: government policies, host society and co-ethnic community. Drawing on qualitative methods consisting of interviews with Syrian newcomers, sponsors and resettlement professionals, I will present preliminary results concerning the topics of sociability, employment and sponsors-newcomer relationships. Moreover, I will address the role of co-ethnic community and faith-based organizations in the resettlement process. Finally, I will discuss similarities and differences between the Brazilian and the Canadian context.
This presentation is part of an ongoing research project funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), process no. 2018/20996-7.
Biography
Fabio Pucci is a third-year Ph.D. Student at the Department of Sociology at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil. Currently, he is a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) of York University, in Toronto, Canada. Fabio’s ongoing research project compares the resettlement of Syrian refugees in São Paulo (Brazil) and Toronto (Canada).