Thea Enns
My most recent research has focused on the unique qualities of the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program in Canada. My MSc in Migration Studies was focused on assessing the roles and responsibilities of refugee resettlement policies in Canada and the UK. Further research interests include the dynamics of social inclusion, social policy, cross-sector collaboration, and community-based approaches.
University of Oxford, Kellogg College
MSc in Migration Studies, July 2017
University of Toronto, Victoria College
Honours B.A. Political Science and Diaspora & Transnational Studies, June 2015
University of Oxford, Kellogg College
MSc in Migration Studies, July 2017
University of Toronto, Victoria College
Honours B.A. Political Science and Diaspora & Transnational Studies, June 2015
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Papers by Thea Enns
By first analysing the history and evolution of Canada’s approach to refugee resettlement, a particular focus is placed on the Private Sponsorship Program and local, community-based responses. The Syrian resettlement program provides the case study for this research, and semi-structured interviews conducted within the Region of Waterloo provide insight into the local and individual level experiences during this initial resettlement period.
Understood through the theoretical lens of neoliberalization, this case study reveals how instances of privatization and decentralization have reconfigured the discourse and responsibilities of resettlement: political responsibilities of resettlement have increasingly been placed on local and individual actors, and municipalities have been left to fill support gaps. The Syria case study suggests that the moral discourse on refugee resettlement—and Canada’s “welcoming” narrative—largely remain controlled by the state in order to mobilise civil action, and further download responsibility. Ultimately, this work challenges the role and integrity of the Canadian government, and questions who determines one’s right to resettlement, and on whose shoulders the moral and economic impact of resettlement rests.
By first analysing the history and evolution of Canada’s approach to refugee resettlement, a particular focus is placed on the Private Sponsorship Program and local, community-based responses. The Syrian resettlement program provides the case study for this research, and semi-structured interviews conducted within the Region of Waterloo provide insight into the local and individual level experiences during this initial resettlement period.
Understood through the theoretical lens of neoliberalization, this case study reveals how instances of privatization and decentralization have reconfigured the discourse and responsibilities of resettlement: political responsibilities of resettlement have increasingly been placed on local and individual actors, and municipalities have been left to fill support gaps. The Syria case study suggests that the moral discourse on refugee resettlement—and Canada’s “welcoming” narrative—largely remain controlled by the state in order to mobilise civil action, and further download responsibility. Ultimately, this work challenges the role and integrity of the Canadian government, and questions who determines one’s right to resettlement, and on whose shoulders the moral and economic impact of resettlement rests.