Transnational Habitus and the Formation of a Colombian Community in Toronto

Santy Restrepo

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14652558

Abstract

Colombians are one of the largest Latin American populations in Canada, however academic research on this ethnic group is scarce. Unlike other immigrant groups from Latin America, Colombians demonstrate limited community formation. This study seeks to explore the reasons that impede the formation of a Colombian community in Toronto. Using transnational habitus as a theoretical framework, and using census data analysis as well as field observations in the Toronto CMA, the study suggests that multiple political conflicts in Colombia have been transplanted to Canada, thereby impeding the formation of a solidified community.

Highlights

The objective of this study is to explore how the transnational habitus affects the social interaction between Colombians in Toronto, which appears to be hindering their social organization and the formation of a transnational community
By using the concepts of transnationalism, transnational community and habitus, I will explore A) how transnational linkages affect the social interactions within Colombian migrants, and B) how does the habitus facilitate or impede the formation of a Colombian transnational community in Toronto?
This paper had two main tasks: to understand how transnational linkages affect the social interactions within Colombian migrants and to what extent does the transnational habitus facilitate or impede the formation of a Colombian community in Toronto? This study is of significance as it provides insight concerning a large immigrant community in Toronto which has not been the focus of much academic research in the Canadian context

Summary

Introduction

Transnationalism is defined as “the process by which immigrants forge and sustain simultaneous multi-stranded social relations that link together their societies of origin and settlement” (Glick Schiller, Basch and Blanc 1999, p.48). The contexts of the sending and receiving countries may affect the habitus and have an impact on the social interaction of immigrants from the same group at different stages of the settlement process. Inhabitants were fragmented in four major areas: the highlands in the mountainous regions, the valleys along the basins of multiple rivers, the Caribbean coastal region and the Amazon jungle. This resulted in the formation of multiple organized indigenous cultures such as the Tayronas, the Sinues, the Chibchas, the Caribs, the Muiscas and the Arawaks to name a few (Safford and Palacios, 2002). The landscape acted as a barrier separating these groups and setting the stage for a diverse population

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