Serperi Sevgur, PhD

Having completed her PhD in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology of Dalhousie University, Dr. Sevgur teaches at the Department of Sociology of Saint Mary’s University. Her research interests throughout her graduate education have revolved around migration, skills, class, gender, and transnational connections and spaces. Her master’s thesis centered on the settlement practices of highly skilled immigrants in Halifax and Ontario. The findings resulted in the publication of two book chapters. One chapter explored the institutional and structural layers of Atlantic Canadian “warm welcome” discourse, including analyses of political and economic conditions, and policies and practices concerning both migrants and non-migrants. The second chapter advanced policy directions on facilitating highly skilled migrants’ settlement and integration into Canadian society. Two other closely related research projects which Serperi was involved with focused on the extent and role of transnational and diasporic ethnic networks in Atlantic Canada and other Canadian provinces. These studies explored sense of belonging, identification, and settlement experiences of immigrants to Atlantic Canada taking into consideration gender, race, and class dynamics which unfolded across transnational and local networks. The findings delineated how care -both material and emotional- circulated across networks and shaped migration related decisions, experiences and trajectories. More recently, Serperi has turned her attention to studying refugee children and youth’s experiences in Halifax with particular focus on the effects of specifically designed settlement programs. In the meantime, she has also extended her geographical focus. Her PhD dissertation focused on Georgian migrant women who work in Turkey as live-in caregivers, and draws from and contributes to the general immigration literature.

Contact: Serperi.Sevgur@dal.ca