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2022 | Buch

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U.S. War Resisters’ Quest for Refuge in Canada

A Comparative Study of Vietnam and Afghanistan/Iraq War Resisters’ Migration Experiences

verfasst von: Sarah J. Grünendahl

Verlag: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

Buchreihe : Studien zur Migrations- und Integrationspolitik

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

When U.S. war resisters turned to Canada as refuge during the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan/Iraq Wars, they not only hoped to forestall deployment to a combat zone but also to build new lives and make a new home abroad. In her empirical study, Sarah J. Grünendahl explores and juxtaposes how well the two war resister 'generations' have been able to establish themselves after all and to what extent they partake in Canadian society.The comparison is instructive for migration and refugee studies altogether: The war resisters in the sample, unlike many other migrant populations, did not have to contend with language and cultural barriers in their destination country, given similarities between the United States and Canada. Sarah J. Grünendahl's research thus allows for an analysis of the effects of residency on migrants' adaptation and participation in the receiving society, isolated from these two common barriers. Further, the study sheds light on how refugees and non-citizens can employ civic engagement to claim a place for themselves and overcome societal exclusion.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Introduction

Abstract

Following an 1830s visit to the North American continent, Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political philosopher and an early observer of the emergent U.S. American society, marveled at Americans’ propensity to convene in all sorts of associations so as to address various matters of society. Skepticism of a strong central government, born out of settlers’ experiences in their home countries’ oftentimes monarchical or aristocratic societies, and the need to compensate for the immigration-induced loss of (familial) support networks, among other things, may serve as explanations for this impulse. Over a century later, in an essay for the American Historical Review, historian Arthur M. Schlesinger (1944) explored in more depth the roots of American civil society and, expressly, the emergence of associations that constitute its foundation.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Conceptual Framework

Frontmatter

Chapter 2. Migration

Abstract

By broad definition, the term migration denotes a person’s departure from their current dwelling in exchange for another place of residence. Commonly, the prospect of improved living conditions relative to the place of origin is what spurs any such movement. In this regard, there is a certain overlap with residential mobility, which, in the context of this study, will be understood as the process of moving into another home relatively nearby. This is not to say that the distinction between the two phenomena boils down to mere distance.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 3. Citizenship

Abstract

As the section title indicates, there is no single definition or understanding of citizenship; it rather proves a “notoriously polyvalent concept”. The notions as to the grounds on which citizenship status is to be granted (e.g., sex or skin color) as well as to its scope and implications have changed over time. Historically, citizenship has been inextricably linked to territory.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 4. Belonging

Abstract

A succinct definition of the concept called place attachment, including its facets, is still emerging. The most basic understanding is that of an “emotional bond between people and their environments”. At first glance, this characterization speaks to the concept’s spatial dimension; persons grow fond of the topographical or, more generally, corporeal features of their dwelling place, among them the locality’s layout or its distinctive landscape.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Historical and Political Background

Frontmatter

Chapter 5. South of the 49th Parallel: United States

Abstract

As Chapter 1 explained, the flight of this study’s sample groups to Canada was spurred by potential or imminent military service in either Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq, respectively. To situate respondents’ migration decisions, this section sheds light on these wars, if only on select aspects which rendered each of them controversial and hence engendered resistance to the deployments. To this end, the section retraces key historical and political events to elucidate how these wars came about, what the role of the United States in them was as well as how these key events shaped the perceptions of these conflicts. That said, the purpose of this section is explicitly not to give a full account of the pertaining battles or the interplay of changing stakeholders.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 6. North of the 49th Parallel: Canada

Abstract

Canada as we know it in this day and age was founded, and continues to thrive, on immigration. Oftentimes, settlers’ and migrants’ relocation has had to do with less than favorable living conditions at their habitual dwelling places, which they thereby sought to escape. In this manner, the country, including its antecedents, has time and again served as a sanctuary. This section features a brief historical synopsis of some of the key events which illustrate this notion of Canada as a refuge.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 7. ‘The World’s Longest Undefended Border:’ Canada-U.S. Relations

Abstract

The relationship between Canada and the United States is by no means equitable. Moreover, it is asymmetrical inasmuch as the United States, on account of its economic and political clout, fills the role of a hegemon. Yet, apart from the power differential, the two countries share a common ancestry as well as certain experiences which derive from their similar histories.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Methodology and Research Design

Frontmatter

Chapter 8. Methodological Selection

Abstract

Qualitative research is the paradigm of choice whenever a phenomenon yet lacks comprehensive explanation and therefore needs to be explored for it to be better understood. In this vein, scholars make use of qualitative methods to learn about the life worlds and lived experiences of given individuals or populations and to thus expand knowledge about a particular topic. As Chapter 1 made clear, the body of research on Vietnam War resisters, Afghanistan/Iraq War resisters, the extent to which both groups partake in Canadian society as well as on how their members interact with one another is in fact limited.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 9. Study

Abstract

Whereas the previous Chapter 8 shed light on the methodological selection for the study and gave brief introductions to the chosen research tools, the following chapter will now look at their specific implementation. Namely, the section at hand will present how the author approached data collection and what her sample turned out to be. The section thereafter will focus on the analysis of the interview material. A discussion of methodical and ethical considerations concludes the chapter.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Findings

Frontmatter

Chapter 10. The Vietnam War Resisters

Abstract

The first stage in any migration trajectory is, as per van Gennep’s (1960: 10–11) terminology, “separation” – in other words, the departure from the habitual place of residence. Any such act of relocation may be sparked by a dissatisfaction with the living conditions, as in the case of the Vietnam War resisters in the study at hand. This book section will take a closer look at the exact events and the thought process which prompted the interviewed members of this earlier ‘cohort’ of resisters to leave the United States for Canada.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 11. The Afghanistan/Iraq War Resisters

Abstract

Similar to the previous sample group, Afghanistan/Iraq War resisters’ migration to Canada likewise began with what van Gennep (1960: 10–11) refers to as “separation”. Literally, the contemporary ‘cohort’ of war resisters thereby, for one, parted ways with the United States Armed Forces; for another, they left behind the United States as their habitual dwelling place and their extended family and support networks, respectively. The grounds on which Afghanistan/Iraq War resisters decided to take leave were rather identical to those of their predecessors in the era of the Vietnam War: Owing to both their disagreement with the United States Armed Forces’ military engagement – in this case, in the Greater Middle East in the early and mid-2000s – and their objection to taking an active combat role themselves, the prospects for their future lives in the United States were anything but promising.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 12. Discussion

Abstract

The root causes of forced migration are multifarious. In the instance of the sample groups’ members at the heart of this book, the relocation was war-induced, though it did not involve a war-torn homeland: Rather, it was the prospect of becoming combatants abroad and themselves waging war in a foreign country that motivated both Vietnam War resisters and resisters to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to seek refuge in Canada. The researcher analyzed each sample group one at a time and identified separate core categories which aptly subsumed the migration experiences of the respondents across the respective ‘cohorts.’

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Chapter 13. Conclusion

Abstract

In this book, the researcher explored and compared the migration experiences and living situations of two ‘cohorts’ of forced migrants. Namely, these two groups were U.S. American war resisters who had sought to forestall military service and combat duty in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, respectively, by seeking refuge in Canada. The project took its departure both from political scientist Robert D. Putnam’s claim that baby boomers had withdrawn from civil society in the wake of the Vietnam War and from the stereotype that ‘draft dodgers’ specifically were but ‘cop-outs’ shirking their duty as citizens by leaving the United States altogether.

Sarah J. Grünendahl

Backmatter

Titel: U.S. War Resisters’ Quest for Refuge in Canada
verfasst von: Sarah J. Grünendahl
Verlag: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-658-37840-0
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-37839-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-37840-0