Integration into Canadian Society: Immigration, Language and Sense of Belonging

dc.contributor.advisorGeorge, Angela
dc.contributor.authorBarrios Gomez, Hortensia R.
dc.contributor.committeememberAmadegnato, Senamin O.
dc.contributor.committeememberBoz, Umit
dc.contributor.committeememberGeorge, Angela
dc.date2021-06
dc.date.accessioned2021-05-10T17:28:17Z
dc.date.available2021-05-10T17:28:17Z
dc.date.issued2021-05-04
dc.description.abstractLanguage allows individuals to place themselves in the world, telling others about who they are and allowing them to claim membership to multiple groups (Skinner et al., 2001, pp. 14-15). People engage in a never-ending process of claiming, rejecting, searching for and constructing an identity. In the context of immigration, identity negotiation is affected by language and structures of expectations that regulate how discourse is organized. This study examines narratives of immigration through the theories of sense of belonging and structures of expectation to understand the role of language in immigrants’ sense of belonging. The research focused on understanding to what extent language influences the establishment of immigrants’ relations of belonging to Canadian society and determines the ways in which immigrants’ feelings of belonging are affected by their structures of expectations. Data was collected through five digital storytelling workshops with 19 immigrants in the city of Calgary. NVivo (Qualitative Data Analysis Software) and Critical Narrative Analysis (CDA) were used to organize, code and analyze the data collected. The findings shed light on how language affects immigrants’ sense of belonging and how multiple frames, such as integration discourses and individuals’ experiences, affect everyday interaction. This study presents an argument against integration and in favor of developing a sense of belonging for immigrants based on the need for a joint effort of all members of the community to create a safe space in which differences and diversity are recognized, celebrated and encouraged.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBarrios Gomez, H. R. (2021). Integration into Canadian Society: Immigration, Language and Sense of Belonging (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/38843
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/113389
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArtsen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectimmigrationen_US
dc.subjectintegrationen_US
dc.subjectsense of belongingen_US
dc.subjectstructures of expectationen_US
dc.subjectdigital storytellingen_US
dc.subject.classificationLinguisticsen_US
dc.titleIntegration into Canadian Society: Immigration, Language and Sense of Belongingen_US
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineLanguages, Literatures and Culturesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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