What are the experiences of Central American young people and how do they navigate new challenges amidst displacement?

As coloniality intensifies across the globe, young people are increasingly forced into the diaspora. The Cost of Safety provides critical insight into young people's experiences of circular migration and translocal living while searching for safety in Canada.

Mirna Carranza argues the act of resettlement amidst experiences of racism and exclusion is one of agency : a new era of migration. This study details the challenges encountered by migrants, paying particular attention to how young people negotiate their notions of home while simultaneously negotiating their life developmental stages. Separated from family and everything that gave meaning to their lives, how can individuals experience the culture, relationships, and languages of home, without physically returning? Young people are creating their own forms of social reproduction and transnational identities that contribute to ‘home’, both in Canada and in Central America.

Highlighting the ways in which young people can remain in exchange with their communities and countries of origin, this book is ideal reading for students and practitioners of Social Work, Social Services, Latinx Studies, Forced Migration Studies, Globalization and the Human Condition, Counselling Education, Immigration Studies and Child and Youth Care.

Mirna Carranza PhD is a Professor at the School of Social Work, McMaster University.