Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Migrant farm workers recruited under Canada’s temporary employment programs work in difficult environments, under poor working conditions, and live in unsafe housing in remote rural communities. Fearful of repatriation or replacement, many accept their working and living conditions as part of a nec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Brock University
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Studies in Social Justice |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SSJ/article/view/4006 |
| _version_ | 1797858972573630464 |
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| author | Guillermo Candiz Tanya Basok Danièle Bélanger |
| author_facet | Guillermo Candiz Tanya Basok Danièle Bélanger |
| author_sort | Guillermo Candiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Migrant farm workers recruited under Canada’s temporary employment programs work in difficult environments, under poor working conditions, and live in unsafe housing in remote rural communities. Fearful of repatriation or replacement, many accept their working and living conditions as part of a necessary sacrifice to improve their living conditions and those of their families in the countries of origin. At the same time, some migrant farm workers assert their agency by escaping from farms, subverting regulations, or challenging various forms of discipline used to control their bodies and activities. Following Isin and Nielsen (2008), we refer to these actions as “acts of citizenship.” Drawing on research conducted among migrant farm workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Quebec, Canada, we situate these acts, particularly the tendency to escape from abusive and exploitative working relationships, in a particular space and time shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, we demonstrate the link between these acts and certain conditions and opportunities that arose at that time, such as increased support for migrant farmworkers by a non-governmental organization and the facilitation of movement of migrant farmworkers across the Canada-U.S.-border by the “migration industry.”
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:22:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c77a413b85c741fd97af4df2ebd0f7fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1911-4788 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:22:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Brock University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studies in Social Justice |
| spelling | doaj.art-c77a413b85c741fd97af4df2ebd0f7fc2023-03-28T06:00:04ZengBrock UniversityStudies in Social Justice1911-47882023-03-0117110.26522/ssj.v17i1.4006Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 PandemicGuillermo Candiz0Tanya Basok1Danièle Bélanger2Université de l'Ontario françaisDepartment of Sociology and Criminology, University of WindsorDepartment of Geography, Université Laval Migrant farm workers recruited under Canada’s temporary employment programs work in difficult environments, under poor working conditions, and live in unsafe housing in remote rural communities. Fearful of repatriation or replacement, many accept their working and living conditions as part of a necessary sacrifice to improve their living conditions and those of their families in the countries of origin. At the same time, some migrant farm workers assert their agency by escaping from farms, subverting regulations, or challenging various forms of discipline used to control their bodies and activities. Following Isin and Nielsen (2008), we refer to these actions as “acts of citizenship.” Drawing on research conducted among migrant farm workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Quebec, Canada, we situate these acts, particularly the tendency to escape from abusive and exploitative working relationships, in a particular space and time shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, we demonstrate the link between these acts and certain conditions and opportunities that arose at that time, such as increased support for migrant farmworkers by a non-governmental organization and the facilitation of movement of migrant farmworkers across the Canada-U.S.-border by the “migration industry.” https://journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SSJ/article/view/4006Migrant farm workersCOVID-19acts of citizenshipPolitical assertiveness |
| spellingShingle | Guillermo Candiz Tanya Basok Danièle Bélanger Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic Studies in Social Justice Migrant farm workers COVID-19 acts of citizenship Political assertiveness |
| title | Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | acts of citizenship in time and space among agricultural migrant workers in quebec during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | Migrant farm workers COVID-19 acts of citizenship Political assertiveness |
| url | https://journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SSJ/article/view/4006 |
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