IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joimai/v23y2022i3d10.1007_s12134-021-00903-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Picturing Settlement Experiences: Immigrant Women’s Senses of Comfortable and Uncomfortable Places in a Small Urban Center in Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Choon-Lee Chai

    (Red Deer Polytechnic)

Abstract

Small cities tend to have modest immigrant settlement services and cultural amenities, engendering a distinct sense of place among immigrants and impacting their wellbeing differently from large cities. To study the impacts of place characteristics on settlement needs, this photovoice research examines the sense of place among immigrant women through their attribution of meanings to places of comfort and discomfort as they settled in a small city in Canada. Thirty-two immigrant women of different immigration admission statuses, i.e., economic, family, and refugee classes, ranging in age from 19 to 48, took photographs of places that they considered to be either comfortable or uncomfortable. Most participants were from Asia, Africa, and South America, and they had lived in Canada for less than 10 years. Findings indicated that these women appreciated the warmth and support extended to them by settlement services provider organizations, libraries, and faith-based organizations, attesting to the relational nature of the place. Nevertheless, immigrant women dreaded harsh winter conditions and felt unsafe in downtown areas. A close read of these women’s photo stories revealed that their apprehensions about punitive winter conditions are closely linked to their role as primary household caregivers who take their children to public places. Their sense of vulnerability towards downtown areas demonstrates female subordination and their distaste for public spaces. Immigrant women sought comfort in locales that this paper terms “restorative space,” showing their creative use of private and public spaces for relaxation. This study contributes to our understanding of the gendered and interwoven nature of the self, social, and physical spaces. The findings from this study call for settlement policies that attend to distinct characteristics of local places to better serve the settlement needs of immigrants.

Suggested Citation

  • Choon-Lee Chai, 2022. "Picturing Settlement Experiences: Immigrant Women’s Senses of Comfortable and Uncomfortable Places in a Small Urban Center in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1567-1598, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:23:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12134-021-00903-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-021-00903-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12134-021-00903-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12134-021-00903-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clare Rishbeth & Mark Powell, 2013. "Place Attachment and Memory: Landscapes of Belonging as Experienced Post-migration," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 160-178, April.
    2. Chadwick, Kathryn A. & Collins, Patricia A., 2015. "Examining the relationship between social support availability, urban center size, and self-perceived mental health of recent immigrants to Canada: A mixed-methods analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 220-230.
    3. Erin Pearce & Kathleen McMurray & Christine A. Walsh & Linda Malek, 2017. "Searching for Tomorrow—South Sudanese Women Reconstructing Resilience through Photovoice," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 369-389, May.
    4. Avner de Shalit, 2019. "The Functioning of Having a Sense of Place: Cities and Immigrants," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 267-279, July.
    5. Chakrabarti, Ranjana, 2010. "Therapeutic networks of pregnancy care: Bengali immigrant women in New York City," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 362-369, July.
    6. Jörg Plöger & Susanne Kubiak, 2019. "Becoming ‘the Internationals’—how Place Shapes the Sense of Belonging and Group Formation of High-Skilled Migrants," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 307-321, February.
    7. Sandeep Agrawal & Pradeep Sangapala, 2021. "Does Community Size Matter in the Settlement Process? The Experience of Syrian Refugees in Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 653-672, June.
    8. Blumenberg, Evelyn, 2009. "Moving In and Moving Around: Immigrants, Travel Behavior, and Implications for Transport Policy," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt5b5329tk, University of California Transportation Center.
    9. Heisz, Andrew & Schellenberg, Grant, 2004. "Public Transit Use Among Immigrants," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 2004224e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    10. Wang, Lu & Hu, Wei, 2013. "Immigrant health, place effect and regional disparities in Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 8-17.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael Smart, 2015. "A nationwide look at the immigrant neighborhood effect on travel mode choice," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 189-209, January.
    2. Hu, Lingqian, 2017. "Changing travel behavior of Asian immigrants in the U.S," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 248-260.
    3. Frank Trovato, 2020. "The Immigrant Mortality Advantage in Canada, 2001 and 2011," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 351-379, June.
    4. Guizhen Ma, 2019. "Similar or Different? A Comparison of Environmental Behaviors of US-Born Whites and Chinese Immigrants," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1203-1223, November.
    5. Valerie Preston & Sara McLafferty & Monika Maciejewska, 2022. "Gender, Immigration and Commuting in Metropolitan Canada," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 113(4), pages 348-364, September.
    6. Rahman Shafi & Alexa Delbosc & Geoffrey Rose, 2023. "The role of culture and evolving attitudes in travel behaviour assimilation among south asian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1261-1287, August.
    7. Lum, Irene D. & Swartz, Rebecca H. & Kwan, Matthew Y.W., 2016. "Accessibility and use of primary healthcare for immigrants living in the Niagara Region," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 73-79.
    8. José M. Casado-Díaz & Raquel Simón-Albert & Hipólito Simón, 2022. "Reassessing the commuting penalty for immigrants: new evidence from Spain," Transportation, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 1099-1132, August.
    9. Lovejoy, Kristin, 2012. "Mobility Fulfillment Among Low-car Households: Implications for Reducing Auto Dependence in the United States," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt4v44b5qn, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    10. Dian Nostikasari & Nicole Foster & Lauren Krake, 2024. "Inhabiting digital spaces: An informational right to the city for mobility justice," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(13), pages 2585-2602, October.
    11. Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Sinning, Mathias G., 2011. "Neighborhood diversity and the appreciation of native- and immigrant-owned homes," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 214-226, May.
    12. Xin Meng & Sen Xue, 2020. "Social networks and mental health outcomes: Chinese rural–urban migrant experience," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 155-195, January.
    13. Schouten, Andrew & Blumenberg, Evelyn, 2024. "License to drive: State driver’s licensing laws and the travel of unauthorized immigrants," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    14. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven & Greaves, Stephen & Clifton, Geoffrey & Wu, Hao & Sarkar, Somwrita & Levinson, David M., 2021. "Immigrant settlement patterns, transit accessibility, and transit use," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    15. Ljunge, Martin, 2016. "Migrants, health, and happiness: Evidence that health assessments travel with migrants and predict well-being," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 35-46.
    16. Fullerton, Thomas M. Jr & Walke, Adam G., 2012. "Border Zone Mass Transit Demand in Brownsville and Laredo," Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Transportation Research Forum, vol. 51(2).
    17. Lovejoy, Kristin & Handy, Susan, 2011. "Social networks as a source of private-vehicle transportation: The practice of getting rides and borrowing vehicles among Mexican immigrants in California," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 248-257, May.
    18. Evelyn Blumenberg & Michael Smart, 2014. "Brother can you Spare a Ride? Carpooling in Immigrant Neighbourhoods," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(9), pages 1871-1890, July.
    19. Jixiang Liu & Longzhu Xiao, 2024. "Socioeconomic differences in effect size: predicting commuting mode choice of migrants and locals using a light gradient boosting approach," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 1-24, February.
    20. Smart, Michael J., 2014. "A volatile relationship: The effect of changing gasoline prices on public support for mass transit," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 178-185.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:23:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12134-021-00903-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.