Religion in the Aspirations-(Cap)abilities Framework of Migration: A Case of Ghanaian Emigration and Integration in Canada

Abstract

Over the last three decades, there has been extensive research on religion and migration. Yet, existing approaches focus more on the consequences of migration in destination countries than the conditions that generate migration in the first place. This study argues that new insights can be gained when scholars address separately how religion emerges, first, in the aspiration to migrate; second, in the (cap)ability to move; and finally, in the settlement and integration of immigrants. Using mixed methods involving observations, online surveys (N=642), and fifty interviews, the study explores the nature and role of Christianity in Ghanaian emigration and integration into Canada. The analysis of migration aspirations shifts the study of religion from actual migration in the present to imagined migration in the future. This shift draws attention to experiential dimensions of religion—dreams, prophecies, and intuitions—which subvert rational economic motives, or external push and pull factors of migration. The analysis of religion in the cap(ability) to move highlights the important role of religious resources that show how migrants are differently equipped to overcome barriers to migration. Finally, the cases of Ghanaian Christian immigrants in Ontario posit integration and immigrant religion as middle grounds where structure and agency meet. Challenging stereotypical notions of poverty-driven African emigration, this study provides relevant knowledge of development-driven African emigration and the crucial role religion plays in the migratory process.