Strangers in New Homelands: The Social Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Home Among Immigrants in the Diaspora

Strangers in New Homelands is a collection of papers emanating from Annual International Conferences on the Social Reconstruction of the concept of 'home' among immigrants in the diaspora. For many immigrants in the diaspora, the concept of home, around which this conference has revolved, evokes confusion, fear, hopes, and aspirations. The presentations in this book therefore seek to throw light on what this concept means for many people who have uprooted themselves from their familiar environments and settled or seek to make new homes out of strange and unfamiliar environments. The contributors in this publication were drawn from the field of researchers on immigrant and refugee movements and settlements, education, community development and front-line immigrant and refugee settlement workers. They draw on experiences from their research, field practice vignettes, personal experiences and case work examples to highlight the critical issues involved in the field of forced and voluntary migration and resettlement. The contributors explore the critical issues surrounding the issues of forced and voluntary migration around the world, and the settlement of migrants and refugees in new societies. Cumulatively, they examine the challenges of settlement, integration and adaptation that new comers face in host societies. The critical approaches and strong balance of research with applications show the implications of the issues for the profession of social work and allied fields. The scholarship presented here also highlights the implications of the issues discussed for further research and social policy development. Anyone interested in learning about the challenges and intricacies of the migration process around the world must read this book. It is highly recommended for politicians, policy makers, social work professionals, educators and organizations dealing with immigrants and refugees.