1996/97 PCERII Funded Research Abstract

Research Title: The Social Structure of the Yugoslavian Community in Regina

Research Team: Dr. Murray Knuttila (University of Regina) - Principal Investigator

Research Domain(s): Public Services and Political

Immigrants from the former Yugoslavia have been building communities in Regina for at least the past half century. During the past five years the number of immigrants from this region of the world who have settled in Regina has increased dramatically. These immigrants come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, with a diverse range of political and personal experiences in their former places of residence. Little is known about the social structures of these communities in medium sized cities such as Regina. The proposed research seeks to provide some initial data regarding the social structure of these communities by beginning to construct an ethnographic profile. The community profile will serve as the first stage of an in-depth investigation of how members of this community perceive, and participate in political institutions. Key research questions will thus include: 1) What are the patterns of daily interaction in terms of family, work, education, religious, and political life? What micro and macro patterns are apparent and emerging? 2) How do immigrants perceive the structures and organization of the polity in a liberal democratic society? To what extent are immigrants politically active? Do immigrants avail themselves of the opportunities for political participation available in a liberal democratic polity?

While the basic ethnographic data will be important, the focus of the project is to contribute to better understanding the immigrant’s attitudes and viewpoints regarding the polity. Of special interest will be an investigation of the processes by which immigrants become or do not become integrated into the political institutions and culture of Canada, Saskatchewan and Regina. Through the use of a structured interview with adults from the former Yugoslavia, information will be gathered on basic demographics and personal histories; however, as noted, the emphasis will be on attitudes towards the polity and the structures of government, political participation patterns, as well as attitudes toward specific government agencies such as the police and the judiciary.

The research will be conducted in conjunction with the Regina Open Door Society that will serve as the initial contact for the construction of a snowball sample. The Regina Open Door Society will have an opportunity to include questions that will produce data that are useful to its programs and initiatives. It is hoped that in excess of 50 adult immigrants will be interviewed. If the target population is larger than 50, a simple random sample will be drawn.

The data collected will be brought to bear on a number of on-going sociological debates concerning immigrants, political participation, and political attitudes as well as the factors that are involved in the formation of attitudes toward the polity, democracy, political participation and the state agencies. The research will be conducted with the assistance of a graduate student who will utilize the data in a thesis. As noted, every effort will be undertaken to ensure that the data will be of use to our partner, the Regina Open Door Society, and will contribute to the larger data set that will emerge out of the work of the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration.