Although refugees have been pushed into the spotlight over the past few years, particularly as a result of the Syrian crisis, they are never far from public consciousness or policy debates. Based on years of close community and academic involvement in local, national, and international refugee affairs, Drs. Catherine Baillie Abidi and Shiva Nourpanah have created an accessible A-to-Z reference book focused on raising awareness on refugee and forced migration issues in Canada, with a specific focus on Atlantic Canada. Defining key concepts, from "asylum seeker" to "Generation Z," this accessible guide is situated within a critical framework, acknowledging Canada's complex immigration history.

This one-of-a-kind guide will be an extremely useful tool for refugee aid and settlement practitioners and advocacy groups, as well as for all Canadians eager to better understand the realities of refugees and forced migrants. Includes over 40 photographs by local refugee and settlement artists.

Catherine Baillie Abidi is a scholarly practitioner who bridges community and academia. She has twenty years experience working in the humanitarian field, particularly in the areas of forced migration, peace and conflict, and refugee settlement. She holds a PhD (2015) in Educational Studies from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Canada and has published work on refugee settlement and policies in Atlantic Canada, migration and gender, and the changing landscape of political discourse on forced migration. Catherine has led many community-based programs focused on settlement and integration, including creating a refugee-centred storytelling program and a Girl Guide unit specifically organized for girls with refugee backgrounds.

Catherine Baillie Abidi's profile page

Shiva Nourpanah holds a PhD (2017) in Social Anthropology from Dalhousie University. Her areas of research include the experiences of refugees and temporary migrants in Nova Scotia. Formerly, she worked for eight years in Iran with refugees, as a staff-member of the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees. She has published work on the ethics of refugee aid, women's human rights in refugee aid, and the experiences of settlement and integration of Afghan refugees in Halifax. Currently, she is researching the role of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in refugee claims.

Shiva Nourpanah's profile page

"This guide to refugees and forced migration should be a welcome addition to any secondary school's resource room or social studies/social sciences/history teachers' shelves." —Canadian Teacher Magazine (Toronto, ON)

"This useful primer takes us from A (activism and advocacy) to Y (youth and second generation), explaining terms, raising our consciousness and providing historical context." —Toronto Star (Toronto, ON)