Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Migrant workers’ (non)belonging in rural British Columbia, Canada: storied experiences of Marginal Living

Migrant workers’ (non)belonging in rural British Columbia, Canada: storied experiences of... The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of belonging and wellbeing among temporary migrant agricultural workers (TMAWs) in a rural setting in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. In total, 12 migrant workers participated in two to four one-on-one interviews and/or focus group conversations.FindingsThe analysis revealed an over-arching theme of Marginal Living encompassing stories of always on the outside, mechanisms of isolation and exclusion; struggling for the basics, realities of worrying about daily bare necessities; and “nothing but a worker’s,” experiences of being reduced only to one’s labor. These storied experiences each impacted workers’ wellbeing and typically limited their ability to feel a sense of belonging. Yet, workers exerted agency and resilience through storied experiences of “one family and for those who come next.” Their efforts contributed to building a sense of community through mutual support and advocacy.Originality/valueVery few studies have focused on the day-to-day experiences of this population and its influence on their sense of belonging and wellbeing. This study is also the first to examine this topic within this particular region (the rural BC interior). These findings can provide a starting point for improved program planning to address challenges faced by TMAWs in rural Western Canada. Further, they expand the understanding of concepts such as partial citizenship and structural exclusion as they apply in the day-to-day realities of migrant workers in rural BC. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care Emerald Publishing

Migrant workers’ (non)belonging in rural British Columbia, Canada: storied experiences of Marginal Living

Download PDF
13 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/migrant-workers-non-belonging-in-rural-british-columbia-canada-storied-wkcARGm9bm
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1747-9894
DOI
10.1108/ijmhsc-05-2017-0018
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of belonging and wellbeing among temporary migrant agricultural workers (TMAWs) in a rural setting in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. In total, 12 migrant workers participated in two to four one-on-one interviews and/or focus group conversations.FindingsThe analysis revealed an over-arching theme of Marginal Living encompassing stories of always on the outside, mechanisms of isolation and exclusion; struggling for the basics, realities of worrying about daily bare necessities; and “nothing but a worker’s,” experiences of being reduced only to one’s labor. These storied experiences each impacted workers’ wellbeing and typically limited their ability to feel a sense of belonging. Yet, workers exerted agency and resilience through storied experiences of “one family and for those who come next.” Their efforts contributed to building a sense of community through mutual support and advocacy.Originality/valueVery few studies have focused on the day-to-day experiences of this population and its influence on their sense of belonging and wellbeing. This study is also the first to examine this topic within this particular region (the rural BC interior). These findings can provide a starting point for improved program planning to address challenges faced by TMAWs in rural Western Canada. Further, they expand the understanding of concepts such as partial citizenship and structural exclusion as they apply in the day-to-day realities of migrant workers in rural BC.

Journal

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 15, 2018

Keywords: Community health; Vulnerability; Mental wellbeing; Marginalization; Belonging; Migrant agricultural worker

References

  • Repertoires of racism: reactions to Jamaicans in the Okanagan Valley
    Aguiar, L.L.; McKinnon, A.; Sookraj, D.
  • Work hard, play hard: selling Kelowna, BC, as year-round playground
    Aguiar, L.L.; Tomic, P.; Trumper, R.
  • Is health a labour, citizenship or human right? Mexican seasonal agricultural workers in Leamington, Canada
    Barnes, N.
  • Post-national citizenship, social exclusion and migrants rights: Mexican seasonal workers in Canada
    Basok, T.
  • Reproducing deportability: migrant agricultural workers in South-Western Ontario
    Basok, T.; Belanger, D.; Rivas, E.
  • Citizenship as capital: the distinction of migrant labor
    Bauder, H.
  • ‘Half of myself belongs to this town’: conditional belongings of temporary migrants in regional Australia
    Boese, M.; Phillips, M.
  • Labour control in the tobacco agro-spaces: migrant agricultural workers in South-Western Ontario
    Bridi, R.M.
  • Agriculture sector’s reliance on temporary foreign workers to fill labour shortages is growing
  • Indigenous storytelling and participatory action research: allies toward decolonization? Reflections from the peoples’ international health tribunal
    Caxaj, C.S.
  • Belonging among newcomer youths: intersecting experiences of inclusion and exclusion
    Caxaj, C.S.; Berman, H.
  • Belonging and mental wellbeing among a rural Indian-Canadian Diaspora: navigating tensions in ‘finding a space of our own’
    Caxaj, C.S.; Gill, N.K.
  • Bodies and borders: migrant women farmworkers and the struggle for sexual and reproductive justice in British Columbia, Canada
    Cohen, A.; Caxaj, C.S.
  • Comparative assessment of migrant farm worker health in conventional and organic horticultural systems in the United Kingdom
    Cross, P.; Edwards, R.T.; Hounsome, B.; Edwards-Jones, G.
  • Number of temporary foreign worker positions on positive Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) under the agricultural occupations, by location of employment
  • Cultivating farmworker rights: ending the exploitation of immigrant and migrant farmworkers in BC
    Fairey, D.; Hanson, C.; MacInnes, G.; McLaren, A.T.; Otero, G.; Preibisch, K.; Thompson, M.
  • Barriers and benefits of protective eyewear use by Latino farm workers
    Forst, L.; Noth, I.M.; Lacey, S.; Bauer, S.; Skinner, S.; Petrea, R.; Zanoni, J.
  • In the shadows: exploring the notion of ‘community’ for temporary foreign workers in a boomtown
    Foster, J.; Taylor, A.
  • The Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Canada: low-skilled workers as an extreme form of flexible labor
    Fudge, J.; MacPhail, F.
  • Citizenship at the margins: the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and civil society advocacy
    Gabriel, C.; MacDonald, L.
  • Missing from Temporary Foreign Worker Programs: gender-sensitive approaches
    Gibb, H.
  • Organization of work in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector in the US southeast: implications for immigrant workers’ occupational safety and health
    Grzywacz, J.G.; Lipscomb, H.J.; Casanova, V.; Neis, B.; Fraser, C.; Monaghan, P.; Vallejos, Q.M.
  • Mobility and territorial belonging
    Gustafson, P.
  • Falling through the cracks? Migrant workers and the global social protection floor
    Hennebry, J.
  • A model for managed migration? Re-examining best practices in Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program
    Hennebry, J.L.; Preibisch, K.
  • The social quarantining of migrant labour: everyday effects of temporary foreign worker regulation in Canada
    Horgan, M.; Liinamaa, S.
  • From interview transcript to interpretive story: part 1 – viewing the transcript through multiple lenses
    McCormack, C.
  • Paper versus practice: occupational health and safety protections and realities for temporary foreign agricultural workers in Ontario
    McLaughlin, J.; Hennebry, J.; Haines, T.
  • Psychosocial stressors associated with Mexican migrant farmworkers in the Midwest United States
    Magaña, C.G.; Hovey, J.D.
  • Comments on measuring belonging as a service outcome
    Mahar, A.L.; Cobigo, V.; Stuart, H.
  • ‘We’re sending you back’: temporary skilled labour migration, social networks and local community
    Mayes
  • Pick-your-own labor: migrant workers and flexibility in Canadian agriculture
    Preibisch, K.
  • Does citizenship status matter in Canadian agriculture? Workplace health and safety for migrant and immigrant laborers
    Preibisch, K.; Otero, G.
  • Migrant agricultural workers and processes of social inclusion in rural Canada: encuentros and desencuentros
    Preibisch, K.L.
  • Spaces of work and everyday life: labour geographies and the agency of unorganised temporary migrant workers
    Rogaly, B.
  • The health of temporary foreign workers in Canada: a scoping review
    Salami, B.; Meherali, S.; Salami, A.
  • Layers of vulnerability in occupational safety and health for migrant workers: case studies from Canada and the UK
    Sargeant, M.; Tucker, E.
  • The health of US hired farm workers
    Villarejo, D.
  • Temporary employment and health: a review
    Virtanen, M.; Kivimaki, M.; Joensuu, M.; Virtanen, P.; Elovainio, M.; Vahtera, J.
  • National sovereignty and transnational labour: The case of Mexican seasonal agricultural workers in British Columbia, Canada
    Vosko, L.F.
  • Popular education for health promotion and community empowerment: a review of the literature
    Wiggins, N.