UNPACKING REFUGEE COMMUNITY TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZING: THE CHALLENGES AND DIVERSE EXPERIENCES OF COLOMBIANS IN CANADA

This article contributes to research on forced migration and transnationalism through an analysis of community organizing experiences of Colombians in Canada. The article draws on research conducted for two projects in three Canadian cities and seeks to highlight and explain variation in collective forms of transnational political engagement across these settings. Case studies of Colombian community organizing in Toronto, Sherbrooke, and Vancouver show how the characteristics, historical context, and geopolitics of the conflict in the home country influence whether and how Colombians recreate a sense of nationally based community and engage in organized initiatives beyond borders. We also identify differences in forms of engagement and disengagement with the homeland and argue that (1) immigrant and refugee entrance categories, (2) demographic, institutional and other characteristics of the context of reception, (3) social dynamics of trust and mistrust influencing everyday relations and networks among refugees, and (4) the type of reception and solidarity practices directed toward particular groups of refugees from local civil society and settlement organizations critically influence the desire and capacity of Colombians to engage in transnational initiatives. Our analysis offers insight into the variable and wideranging experiences of political transnational engagement by refugees, particularly when conflict is multi-polar, ongoing, and unresolved. Our findings are also relevant to discussions about mobilizing diasporas for peace building and related initiatives.