Sujata Ramachandran

Talk Title: Prospects and Challenges of Diaspora Engagement: South African Diaspora in Canada

Drawing on SAMP’s latest research with the South African diaspora in Canada, this presentation will provide selected examples of positive transnational engagement, including knowledge/research networks and individual-driven initiatives. The potential of these initiatives for addressing global challenges of education, poverty and food security among others will be highlighted along with some challenges tied to such engagement. 

Biography:
Sujata Ramachandran is a Researcher with the Southern African Migration Program (SAMP) affiliated with the International Migration Research Center (IMRC) at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON. She is the joint author of a recent IDRC-funded SAMP project report on the transnational development engagement of the Southern African diaspora communities in Canada. Her research has focused on the broad themes of migration and development; xenophobia and the politics of migration; and complexities of irregular migration. She has written several reports and publications on xenophobia in South Africa for SAMP. She has previously contributed to the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) and co-authored (with Dr. Jonathan Crush) a background research monograph on xenophobia for the UNDP Report on Migration and Development. As a latest project, Sujata has investigated and written on the philanthropic practices of the South African diaspora in Ontario, Canada.