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.

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