Transnational Migration as a Strategy of Resistance among Refugees: The South Sudanese Diaspora in Canada

This article fills gaps in the literature about transnational migration and Sub-Saharan Africans in Canada and their strategies of resistance, by interrogating transnationalism among South Sudanese refugees who resettled in Alberta, Canada. Using a qualitative research methodology that consisted of 26 in-depth semi-structured interviews' conducted in Calgary in 2017 and 2018, and a theory that posits transnationalism as a "type of consciousness", an agency that subjects invent to enhance social justice, we assert that the refugees engage in numerous economic, sociopolitical and cultural transnational activities. Their initiatives benefit the refugees themselves and the sending and receiving countries. They serve as anti-racism and development tools against the backdrop of racism that they endure in Canada, the trauma of war and displacement, as well as war-related destruction in the sending country. They also strengthen awareness and better understanding of multiculturalism among Canadians. In the process, the subjects drew on scarce resources and overcame atrocious difficulties in order to improve their lives and create uplifting stories and actions. Though transnational migration also generates problematic impacts, these barriers could be overcome if the benefits of transnational migration are extended. Thus, we draw on the subjects' resilience to expand conceptions about transnational migration in order to turn it into a most fruitful avenue in the twenty-first century.