Immigration, Social Infrastructure and Relationship Formation

Project Lead

Team Members

Gabrielle Abando (external link) , Frankie Cabahug, Suzanne Huot, Capri Ka Po Kong (external link)

Sub-Theme: Placemaking and Relationship Formation

Through studying and redesigning public spaces and social infrastructure, this sub-theme will enhance our understanding of building better places that foster friendship and relationship within communities, as well as between Indigenous people and the newcomer population.

Objective

Friendships are integral to immigrant experiences, and there is more complexity in friendship than in traditional assimilation approaches. Deepening our understanding of friendship formation processes will contribute to a complex understanding of social integration.

This study will explore how relationships formed through an effective use of public spaces and social infrastructure and their impact on social integration.

Research Questions

How do mediated processes within social infrastructures contribute to immigrant friendship formation and integration?
How do place-based community organizations structure interactions that may lead to relationship formation?
How do participants at place-based community organizations tell their own stories of connection and friendship?

Methodology

The research design adopts a comparative case study approach informed by community-engaged research practices. It employs mixed methods, including in-depth interviews, digital storytelling, and longitudinal qualitative research.