Experiencing intentional recognition: Welcoming immigrants in Dayton, Ohio

Jacqueline Housel, Colleen Saxen and Tom Wahlrab
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Jacqueline Housel: Sinclair Community College, USA
Colleen Saxen: Wright State University, USA; Kozmetsky Global Collabatory, Stanford University, USA
Tom Wahlrab: Human Relations Council, City of Dayton, USA; Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, USA

Urban Studies, 2018, vol. 55, issue 2, 384-405

Abstract: What is possible if Dayton became a city that intentionally welcomed immigrants? This question was the starting point for a community conversation about the wellbeing of and outreach toward immigrants in a midsize city in southwest Ohio – the City of Dayton. This paper examines the processes employed to support the emergence of an immigrant-welcoming initiative now called ‘Welcome Dayton’. Early conversations resulted in a formal plan, written by the community and endorsed by city commissioners, which realigned and crystallised local priorities, sparking a wide spectrum of efforts aimed at becoming a welcoming city. Using qualitative methods, primarily participant observation, we identified practices of creating spaces where both long-time residents and recent immigrants come together in a way that recognises and reveals the value of each participant’s perspectives and ideas. Herein we examine the practices of creating and sustaining Welcome Dayton, paying particular attention to the role of recognition in generating ‘resourcefulness’ in the community.

Keywords: immigration; recognition; refugees; resourcefulness; transformative mediation; welcoming cities; 移民; è®¤å ¯; 难民; 足智多谋; å ˜é ©å¼ è°ƒè§£; å ‹å¥½åŸŽå¸‚ (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:55:y:2018:i:2:p:384-405

DOI: 10.1177/0042098016653724

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