Mennonite Hosts And Refugee Newcomers:
1979 – the Present
A Weekend History Conference
30 September - 1 October 2005
Eckhart Gramatte Hall
University of Winnipeg
Hosted by: The Chair in Mennonite Studies
Sponsored by: the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada (Divergent Voices of Canadian Mennonites Project)
and Mennonite Central Committee Canada
Purpose | Friday's Agenda | Saturday's Agenda | Acknowledgements | Lodging/Food/Registration
In 1979 and 1980 thousands of Southeast Asia refugees, escaping the ravages of the Vietnam War and war in neighbouring countries, came to Canada. Many of these newcomers were hosted by Canadian Mennonites, creating new relationships and changing the nature of the Canadian Mennonite churches. Twenty-five years after this moment in history, this conference analyzes, evaluates, reflects and celebrates. This conference features presentations from scholars, hosts, and newcomers.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2005
Friday a.m. 8:30-8:35
Introducing the Conference
Royden Loewen, Winnipeg
Friday a.m.: 8:35-10:00
Background: Politics and Practice in Southeast Asia
Chair: Stephanie Phetsamay Stobbe, Winnipeg
- Ruth Buhler, Saskatoon, “Indochinese Refugees: Caught in the 1970s Struggle of the Superpowers”
- Jake Buhler, Saskatoon, “Lao and Vietnamese Refugees: Via Phanat Kikhom to Canada”
- Art DeFehr, Winnipeg, “Working the Land Bridge: Cambodian Refugees in Thailand”
Coffee: 10:00-10:30
Friday a.m.: 10:30-12:00
Background: Concepts of Sponsorship and Integration
Chair: Louise Giesbrecht, Winnipeg
- Morton Beiser, Toronto, “Strangers No Longer: The ‘Boat People’s’ First Ten Years in Canada.”
- Henry Neufeld, Delta, BC, “Displaced Persons, Boat People, Convention Refugees: Defining the Asylum Seeker"
Lunch: 12:00-1:00
Friday p.m.: 1:00-2:15
The British Columbia Experience:
Chair: Dave Giesbrecht, Abbotsford
- Stephen Lee, Vancouver, “An Escape and an Entry: From Vietnam to Vancouver”
- Mabel Paetkau, Abbotsford, “A Unique Experience: MCC and Refugee Co-ordination”
Coffee 2:15-2:45
Friday p.m.: 2:45-4:30
Manitoba’s Laotian and Vietnamese Newcomers:
Chair: Ed Wiebe, Winnipeg
- Stephanie Phetsamay Stobbe, Winnipeg, “Laotian Refugees and Mennonites in Manitoba and BC”
- Vinh Huynh, Winnipeg, “From Vietnam to Manitoba: A Sojourner's Reflections”
- Andrea Dyck, Winnipeg, “The Vietnamese and Chinese Mennonite Churches in Winnipeg”
Friday p.m.: 7:00-9:00
Linking Ottawa and MCC
Welcome: Royden Loewen, Winnipeg
Chair: Ken Reddig, Winnipeg
- Lloyd Axworthy, Winnipeg, “Refugees and Global Citizenship: Reflections”
- William Janzen, Ottawa, “A History of the MCC-Ottawa Agreement”
- John Wieler, Winnipeg, “Conceptualizing and Implementing an Historic Agreement”
Reception: Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Lao Coffee
OCTOBER 1, 2005
Saturday a.m.: 8:30-10:00
Integration in Alberta and Saskatchewan:
Chair: Jim Gurnett, Edmonton
- Chau Dang, Calgary, and Bill Thiessen, Abbotsford, “From Vietnam to Calgary: Reuniting a Family of 14"
- Khaeksai Saycocie and TBA, Saskatoon, “The Osler Mennonite Housing Miracle”
- Belma Podrug, Saskatoon, “A History of Global Gathering, Saskatoon”
Saturday Coffee: 10:00-10:30 Coffee/Cookies
Saturday a.m.: 10:30-12:00
Intercultural Dynamics in Ontario and Quebec:
Chair: Deo Namwira, Winnipeg
- Daphne Winland, Toronto, “Revisiting a Case Study of Hmong Refugees and Ontario Mennonites”
- Sarah-Anne Claassen, Winnipeg, “Creating Cultures: Laotian Refugees and Waterloo Mennonites”
- Lucille Marr, Montreal, “’A Lonely Outpost’: the Mennonites’ Maison de l’Amite of Montreal”
Lunch: 12:00-1:00
Saturday p.m.: 1:00-2:15
Stories from the United States:
Chair: Dean Peachey, Winnipeg
- Brian Froese, Winnipeg, “Vietnamese Refugees and the California Mennonite Brethren”
- Heather Gibson, Philadelphia, “Familiar Patterns: Hmong Refugees and Pennsylvania Mennonites"
Coffee: 2:15-2:45
Saturday p.m.: 2:45-4:15
Mennonites and Newcomers from Other Places
Chair: Lilian Vagras, Resistencia, Argentina
- Mukai Muza, Winnipeg, "African Refugees in Canada and Mennonite Organizations"
- Eliakim Sibanda, Winnipeg, "Diaspora of Zimbabwe BIC Refugees and ‘Relocates’"
- Bonnie Loewen, Blumenort, "The De Pas Family Gardeners on a Blumenort Farm"
Saturday p.m.: 4:15-4:30
Collecting the Voices
Larry Kehler, Winnipeg: “Summary Statements and Observations”
Acknowledgements
Conference Planning Committee: Ionka Hristozova, Larry Kehler, Royden Loewen, Mukai Muza, Ken Reddig, Stephanie Phetsamay Stobbe, Tim Wichert, Ed Wiebe
We Gratefully Acknowledge the Support of the Following: David and Katherine Friesen Foundation; Mennonite Central Committee Canada; Mennonite Historical Society of Canada; C.P. Loewen Foundation; University of Winnipeg.
The Conference was Organized by: The Divergent Voices of Canadian Mennonites (DVCM), a sub-committee of the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada. Other projects include: 1) Mennonite Women in Canada; 2) Mennonite-Aboriginal Relations; 3) Return of the Kanadier
Selected Papers from this Conference: will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Mennonite Studies. To subscribe email r.loewen@uwinnipeg.ca or phone 204-786-9391
Lodging & More
Suggested Lodging: 360 Colony, Holiday Inn, Winnipeg, 204-786-7011; book in advance and ask for the Mennonite Studies, University of Winnipeg, conference rate.
Food Services: food may be purchased at a dozen ethnic and fast-food restaurants within a block or two of the university or at Riddell Hall Cafeteria at the University of Winnipeg
Suggested Parking: (on Friday and Saturday) the Bus Depot and Hudson’s Bay parkades off of Colony; coin-operated Imperial Parking lots around the University; coin-operated street parking; (on Saturday only) free parking on Lot E, to the south of Homer’s Restaurant off of Young Street.
ALL SESSIONS WILL BE HELD AT:
ECKHARDT GRAMATTÉ HALL, UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG