When you enter the first floor of Brian Mulroney Hall, you will encounter an exhibition shaped like a refugee tent.
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 has brought the Refuge Canada Tent to St. Thomas University. This tent is a traveling exhibition that raises awareness of the complex issues surrounding the history of refugees in Canada.
Sara England helped curate the traveling tent and said the goal is to inform people about the misconceptions created by the media, breaking down the complex process of becoming a refugee and moving to Canada.
“Hopefully [the participants] leave with a bit of a greater understanding and empathy towards friends and neighbours and maybe co-workers who come from refugee experiences,” she said.
With its interactive components, you go through a display where you put yourself in the shoes of the many refugees who have come to Canada. Through self-reflective questions in lift panels and archival images, you will also learn about the history of refugee families featured in the exhibit.
Immersing yourself in the lives of those who had to flee their countries to find a better life.
England explained the museum worked on creating an exhibition “where people could hear firsthand from refugees,” conducting interviews with immigrants and refugees that are reflected through quotes and stories written by them, included in the walls of the display.
“The more we learn about people in our community, the more we can kind of understand the sacrifices and the really difficult decisions that people make when they decide to flee or to escape,” said England.
The exhibition also draws on the experiences immigrants and refugees have lived in the country.
On one of the walls, England presents the different opinions of Canadians and refugees about Canada’s immigration system, alongside historical facts about immigration in the country.
“The exhibition really tries to share Canada’s checkered past. There’s an idea that Canada is a welcoming place to refugees and immigrants and it is that for many,” said England. “But there have been times throughout history where Canada’s response has not always been welcoming.”
As an example, England mentions the time when Canada denied the asylum request of 900 German Jews during World War II, in which the exhibition features the story of the Dublon family, who were sent back to Europe and killed during the Holocaust.
“We look at examples like that to show that Canada’s response varies and changes over time, depending on the situation and sort of politics of the time,” she said.
England explains that the original display was created to be exhibited in spaces like museums and it has been showcased in over 40 locations throughout Canada.
“We do really try to put in places where we are going to have an audience that is sort of a mix of people who want to engage in and learn something new.”
The museum reached out to STU and provided a smaller version of the exhibit to make it accessible for students, faculty and staff.
According to England, the exhibition made its way to STU due to the learning opportunities that it could bring to campus.
Sociology professor Gül Çalışkan, whose research focuses on immigrant stories and narratives through her project Promise of Home, recently visited the exhibition and said it was a “good initiative to get students engaged with.”
Çalışkan mentioned the exhibition could have included further steps to better the immigration and refugee system in Canada.
“It’s a kind of clean story that we don’t question how we treat refugees or people with precarious status in Canada,” said Çalışkan. “But another layer for our students to engage [is] how Canada is treating its own immigrants, refugees and precarious status people.”
Çalışkan acknowledged the exhibition played a role in humanizing the experience of being a refugee, which she believes is an important aspect in creating consciousness around the issues with immigration in Canada.
The sociology professor suggested that the project should be integrated by faculty in their classroom discussions.
“I’m glad it is here on campus,” said Çalışkan. “But there are more tools to make it more impactful, more visible.”
Despite her critiques, Çalışkan thinks the exhibit is an overall positive initiative, as it addresses “one part of [immigrants and refugees] journey” in the country.
The exhibition will continue touring Canada until 2026 and it will be available to students and staff at STU until the end of February.
