Table Of ContentRefugees in
New Destinations and
Small Cities
Resettlement in Vermont
Pablo S. Bose
Refugees in New Destinations and Small Cities
Pablo S. Bose
Refugees in New
Destinations
and Small Cities
Resettlement in Vermont
Pablo S. Bose
Department of Geography
University ofVermont
Burlington,VT, USA
ISBN 978-981-15-6385-0 ISBN 978-981-15-6386-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6386-7
©The Editor(s) (if applicable) andThe Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher,
whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,
reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical
way,andtransmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,
or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnot imply,evenintheabsenceof aspecific statement,thatsuch namesareexempt
from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformationinthis
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained
herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.The publisher remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Cover credit: Rutland,Vermont, photo by Chris Booth/vibecommercialimaging.com
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore
Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Acknowledgments
Thisbookismadepossiblebythesupport,critiques,feedback,andlabor
of many. It is about a place that I scarcely knew when I moved here and
that I have grown to love in the years since. And perhaps even more, it
is about the people who have been so generous in sharing their experi-
ences as newcomers in Vermont and elsewhere with me. It has been my
very great privilege to work with, learn from, and learn about individ-
uals, families, and communities that have been through unimaginable
upheaval, loss, trauma, and change and yet remain so strong, resilient,
and unbroken. The refugee communities and diverse individuals that I
have had the honor to work with and meet during the course of my
research have always been a profound inspiration to me and give me
hope and guidance in my own times of personal or professional doubts
and questions.
I am thus especially grateful to leaders within the refugee and reset-
tlement communities in Vermont whom I have come to know over
the years, especially Jacob Bogre, Thato Ratsebe, and Rita Neopaney
along with many other wonderful staff at AALV.The VT State Refugee
v
vi Acknowledgments
Coordinator Denise Lamoreux has been a constant source of informa-
tion and encouragement. The Refugee and Immigrant Service Provider
Network (RISPNET) meetings she organizes and leads each month
are an amazing resource not only for academics like myself but for
the broader community as a whole. Amila Merdzanovic, Judy Scott,
and numerous staff with VRRP/USCRI-VT have also lent considerable
assistance to me. Jenelle Eli and Katy Jones were of exceptional assis-
tance in making contacts in Washington and with resettlement agen-
cies nationally. Vermont’s congressional delegation and staff—especially
Susan Sussman and Diane Derby with Senator Patrick Leahy’s office—
have also been strong supporters for this work in Washington and in
Vermont.
The research on which the book is based has been funded at various
timesbytheNationalScienceFoundation,theUSDepartmentofTrans-
portation, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement, as well as by the
University of Vermont (more specifically by the College of Arts and
Sciences, the Department of Geography, Food Systems and the office
of the Vice President for Research). I am especially appreciative of the
guidance and assistance that Antoinette Winklerprins at the NSF and
Lisa Aultman-Hall with the Transportation Research Center at UVM
provided as I completed grants focused on resettlement and mobility
respectively,whileDeanWilliamFallsoftheCollegeofArtsandSciences
atUVMhasbeentremendouslyencouragingformanyyears.TheOffice
of Undergraduate Research at UVM has provided material support for
many of my students to undertake theses, internships, and independent
research with my community partners.
OthercolleaguesatUVM,pastandpresent,havelikewisebeencentral
to this work. Glen Elder brought me to Vermont for what I thought
wouldbeashorttwo-yearstint,nowgoingonwelloveradecade.Reecia
Orzeck, Matt Himley, Carlos Vargas-Silva, Susannah McCandless, and
Clayton Rosati made my first few bewildering years in a new discipline
and a new home much more manageable. Meghan Cope and Beverley
Wemple have been simply the best mentors one could ever hope for.
RashadShabazz’sworkonblacknessandurbanenvironmentsandTeresa
Mares’ fantastic research with migrant farmworkers have helped me to
rethinkrelationshipsbetweenraceandspaceinparticular.Ihavelearned
Acknowledgments vii
more from Cherie Morse’s research on rural communities and global
migration and Vermont in general than from almost anyone else. Karen
Fondacaro and Andrea Green’s (many) community-based interventions
have been inspiring and thought-provoking. Harlan Morehouse, Shelly
Rayback, Ingrid Nelson, Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Jenny Baldwin,
and Vibeke Burley have reminded me daily how lucky I am to be in the
GeographyDepartment.OthercolleaguesatUVMIwouldliketothank
include Randall Harp, Alex Zakaras, David Massell, Paul Martin, Jinny
Huh, Joel Goldberg, Alec Ewald, Richard Watts, Susan Munkres, Alan
Rubin, Vicki Brennan, and Cynthia Reyes. Beyond UVM, I am appre-
ciative of collaborations and feedback from Elizabeth Lunstrum, Denver
Nixon, Margaret Walton-Roberts, Alison Mountz, Jennifer Hyndman,
Elizabeth Chacko, Karin Jacobsen, and Peter Penz.
Jonah Steinberg’s work on transnationalism, diaspora, and migration
hascomplicatedandbroadenedmyunderstandingofallofthesecomplex
formations and processes. He has been a particularly helpful sounding
board and critic for many of my ideas and the direction of my research.
I am deeply grateful for his friendship and help over the years, as I am
also for that of Emily Manetta and of Zaki, Amittai, and Ananya.
My students have been absolutely instrumental in the research that
has gone into producing this book. Of particular note has been my
main assistant and collaborator for the past several years, Lucas Grigri.
Others I have worked with and learned from include Brenna Foley,
SammieIbrahim,TildenRemerleitch,MerazMostafa,GillianTiley,Kim
Furtado,ElizabethWolfe,ErikaShepard,EmmaGianoplus,AnnieRyan,
Emily Klofft, Alex Rosenberg, Sarah Barrett, Tony Hollop, Emma Tait,
TylerWilkinson-Ray,RachelOcher,andIsabelDunkley.Iamveryappre-
ciative of the efficiency and efforts of Josh Pitt and Rachel Daniel at
Palgrave Macmillan in getting this project to publication.
Perhaps no one has helped me understand Vermont more than the
extendedLarameeclan,especiallytheinsightsaboutplaceslikeWinooski
given to me by Armand and Bernice Laramee. Monica and Bill Laramee
have offered much support and many opportunities to learn about
Vermont (especially outside of Burlington), while I gain so much each
year from Collin, Sophie, Elliot, Jane, Wren, and Quinn. Billy and
Wendy, Michael and Kathleen, and Jamie and Allison have introduced
viii Acknowledgments
me to new and productive ways of thinking about what building a good
life in a new place means.
I am as ever thankful to my sister Sarika Bose for her eternal love and
support.MymotherMandakrantaBosecontinuestoamazemewithher
capacity to take on so many different projects and stay busy no matter
whattheworlddoesaroundher.Myfather,TirthankarBose,asheseems
to have been since I was in high school, provides the indispensable final
word on so much that I write, offering critical commentary, sage advice,
and careful editing suggestions.
And finally, this book would not be possible without the myriad
contributions of my daughter Lily—from helping retake higher-
resolution photographs, to paginating the index, to choosing a cover
and so much more. Her boundless curiosity, intelligence, and patience
impress me each day. And I thank my wife, Alisha Laramee, my partner
in life and in my community-based research, who has taught me more
about these topics, about thoughtful interventions, and how to criti-
callyinterrogatemyownassumptionsandbiasesmorethanIcouldhave
imagined and thus made my work all the better for it.
Contents
1 Introduction 1
Refugees in an Age of Rising Xenophobia 5
Refugees inVermont 8
Methodology 11
Methods and Sources 15
Plan of the Book 17
References 20
2 The US and Refugee Resettlement 25
AWorld on the Move? 26
History of the USRAP 29
Structure of the USRAP 38
Resettlement in the US 2012–2016 43
References 49
3 Immigration, Refugees, andVermont 53
Migration andVermont 54
Refugees Resettled inVermont 60
ix
x Contents
Diverse Backgrounds 66
Vermonter AttitudesToward Newcomers 72
References 77
4 Burlington 83
Refugees and Smaller Cities 85
Burlington the City 91
Refugees in Burlington 93
Photovoice: Refugee Images of Burlington 103
References 111
5 Winooski 115
Refugees, Ethnic Enclaves, and Suburbs 118
Winooski the City 121
Refugees inWinooski 125
Photovoice: Refugee Images ofWinooski 133
References 138
6 Rutland 143
Refugees and Rustbelt Cities 145
Rutland the City 149
Refugees in Rutland 152
Backlash 156
Postscript: Rutland Now 159
References 161
7 Mobility 165
Migrants and Mobility 168
Vermont and Refugee Mobility 173
Gendered Dimensions of Mobility 182
Newcomers and Cultures ofTravel 187
References 190
8 Food 195
Migrants and Food 197
Vermont and Food Cultures 203
