Peace and Conflict
Volume 24, Issue 3, 2018, Pages 330-337

Activist citizens in an immigrant-friendly city: The natural helpers program (Article)

Lamping S.* , Bertolo M. , Wahlrab T.
  • a Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States, School of Teacher Education, Charles Sturt UniversityNSW, Australia
  • b Welcoming America, Decatur, GA, United States
  • c Welcome Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States, Human Relations Council, Dayton, OH, United States, Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, Dayton, OH, United States

Abstract

In this article, we analyze what happens when a small, Midwestern, U.S. city intentionally acknowledges its exclusionary practices, identifies the ways in which social and systemic isolation dehumanize immigrant populations, and begins the long and serious work to become immigrant-friendly. We propose that the above three-pronged shift in the way we acknowledge, recognize, and engage with each other can disrupt victim/savior identities, blur power dynamics, and privilege ongoing reciprocal dialogue; this rejection of the dominant narrative of vulnerability surrounding forced migrant populations can become a mechanism for individuals to move into shared civic identity and "embodied belonging" (Mackenzie & Guntarik, 2015, p. 65). It can also create the necessary public and private space for individuals to engage in "acts of citizenship" (Isin, 2009; Swerts, 2017), regardless of citizenship status. © 2018 American Psychological Association.

Author Keywords

Transcultural capital Activist citizenship Forced migrants Refugees Borders

Index Keywords

immigration policy social exclusion social movement vulnerability citizenship United States forced migration immigration immigrant population
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85051750962&doi=10.1037%2fpac0000312&partnerID=40&md5=024dd5ed9ec046f63589a645115d7f88
DOI: 10.1037/pac0000312
ISSN: 10781919
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English