The Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies are delighted to announce a free online guest lecture by Mrs. Sarah B. Faulkner PhD Candidate, University of South Australia (UniSA).
The lecture is titled: "To have settlement feels like home and for you to have your place now”: Exploring the role of place-belonging among Syrian refugees on the island of Newfoundland.
Abstract: Exploring the settlement experiences of Syrian refugees on the island of Newfoundland, Canada, Sarah’s PhD thesis particularly focused on their sense of ‘place-belonging’ defined as feeling a sense of home. By focusing on how notions of belonging and home are understood by settled Syrian refugees, she explored how these have impacted on their decisions to stay or leave Newfoundland following a period of initial resettlement. During this presentation Sarah reflects on the research methods conducted and some of the central findings and reflections from her 9-months of ethnographic fieldwork. She considers the impact of Newfoundland’s response to resettle an increased number of Syrian refugees from 2015 and the impact this had on feelings of welcome, belonging, home. Sarah also highlights how opportunities to connect to place and everyday belonging can help mitigate many of the rural place-based challenges that many newcomers face during settlement and how they can help to build a stronger sense of home and place. Within this presentation the tense relationship that exists between notions of retention as it is often linked to refugee settlement will also be acknowledged.
Sarah is in her final year as a PhD Candidate with UniSA Justice and Society. She holds a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Sarah currently sit as a post-graduate representative for UniSA Justice and Society's Research Education Strategy Group and the Australian Sociology Association's thematic group for Migration Ethnicity and Multiculturalism. She is also the Chair of the International Issues Committee for Amnesty International Australia. Sarah’s research interests include studies of belonging and place, human geography, migration, Canadian refugee settlement, and qualitative research methods. Originally from Newfoundland, Canada, Sarah now lives on an old cherry farm in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia with her husband Patrick and their dog Jimmy.
The Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies has been operating in Waterford Institute of Technology since 2002. The institute through the working of the centre have played a key role in maintaining and strengthening the links and unique connection between the communities of the South East region and Newfoundland and Labrador.
For further information please contact [email protected]
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