Refugee Pathways to Freedom: Escaping Persecution and Statelessness

Janet Mancini Billson provides extended interviews with Russian, Bhutanese, Rohingya, and Kurdish refugees, and the resettlement workers who smooth their transition into Canada, in order to paint a complex picture of creating a new life in a new land. Refugee Pathways to Freedom: Escaping Persecution and Statelessness shows how the agonies of losing one’s home and leaving loved ones behind are coupled with the dangers of escaping into unknown territory, and that those who make the journey to freedom know that the dream of a safe and secure future is fraught with risks and disappointment. She argues that refugees and refugee agencies bring powerful ideas for revamping an overwhelmed global system that freezes victims of persecution in years of political and emotional limbo. She examines how shrinking refugee flows by addressing root causes of displacement is critical, but so is speeding up selection processes to reduce despair and lost years. She further posits that drastically limiting time in refugee camps would prevent counterproductive education and work gaps and that reducing language barriers to employment ensures well-being and successful integration.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents List of Illustrations and Tables Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Becoming A Refugee—Definitions and Dilemmas Chapter 2: Canada’s Refugee Policies—A Shifting And Complex Framework Chapter 3: The Doukhobors—Canada’s Forgotten Refugees Chapter 4: The Rohingya—The Weapon of Statelessness Chapter 5: The Nepali-Speaking Bhutanese—Refugees in Their Own Homeland Chapter 6: The Kurds—Struggling for Dignity and Peace Chapter 7: Strategic Resettlement—Facing Challenges Together Chapter 8: Looking Forward—Maximizing Well-Being Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Bibliography Index About the Author

About the Author :
Janet Mancini Billson is former professor of sociology and women’s Studies at Rhode Island College and The George Washington University.

Review :
“Billson offers a humanizing approach to the study and understanding of issues facing refugees in Canada, using an effective qualitative and quantitative methodology that would suit anybody and everybody. Reading Refugee Pathways to Freedom: Escaping from Persecution and Statelessness equally crushed my heart while simultaneously filling it with empathy. An impressive and impactful read.” Billson provides key insights into the history and system of refugee resettlement in Canada. Refugee Pathways to Freedom is a valuable contribution to the scholarly literature and resource in the classroom. Janet Billson's Refugee Pathways to Freedom examines a subject that has long been close to the hearts of Canadians and others concerned about the fates and fortunes of peoples cast adrift from their homes by conflict, natural disaster, religious persecution, and ethnic violence. After carefully tracing the history of the international community's efforts to address the recurrent refugee "crisis" in policy, Billson zeroes in on the motivations, experiences, and hopes of a representative selection of refugee groups in Canada from the early decades of the twentieth century to the present day. Meticulously researched and judiciously organized, Refugee Pathways to Freedom is also compellingly written. It will be a rich resource for scholars and students of the refugee experience as well as for policymakers working in the field.