#13 Coptic Immigration to North America
This episode rotates around the topic of Coptic immigration to North America. Copts began immigrating to the US as early as the late 1940’s. After 1952, the rate of Coptic immigration from Egypt to Canada and the United States increased. Immigration to Canada outpaced the US until the inauguration of more lenient procedures in 1965. In general, Coptic immigration rose steadily throughout North America, Europe, and Australia in the coming decades. We see a further influx of Copts to the US and Canada after the 2011 revolution in Egypt, fleeing instability and violence there. With hundreds of Coptic Orthodox churches in the United States alone (along with over 90 congregations in Canada), it is estimated that there are over one million Coptic Orthodox Christians in North America. Coptic immigration has so many facets to it and we obviously cannot cover everything in one episode, but we will discuss some important aspects in this episode.
Resources: Dr Candace Lukasik: https://thecchp.com/2017/06/25/land-migration-and-memory/ https://publicorthodoxy.org/2018/08/27/modernity-murder-and-coptic-identity/ https://publicorthodoxy.org/2020/02/20/copts-debating-christmas/
https://salamamoussa.com/2018/03/17/immigration-and-the-reinvention-of-identity-part-i/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/coptic-church/555515/
Dr Michael Akladios Peer-Reviewed
“Heteroglossia, Interpretation and the Experiences of Coptic Immigrants from Egypt in North America, 1955-1975,” Histoire Sociale / Social History 53.109 (Fall 2020): [pre-print online].
“Navigating Sacred Spaces: Coptic Immigrants in 1960s Toronto,” Left History 21.1 (Fall/Winter 2018): 109-122. Editorials Co-authored with Candace Lukasik,
“Debating Christmas Day: Copts, Calendars and the Immigrants’ Church,” Public Orthodoxy, February 20, 2020.
“Interview with Michael Akladios: Mundane Transnationalism,” CCHP, November 24, 2019.
“Stop Victim-Blaming Egypt’s Copts,” Mada Masr English, November 5, 2018 / “توقفوا عن لوم الضحايا من أقباط مصر,” Mada Masr, November 13, 2018.
“Celebrating ‘Ordinary’: The CCHP and the Coptic Immigrant Experience,” Coptic Voice US, October 23, 2018.
“Conversations with Egyptian Uber Drivers: Why Emigrate? Why Canada?” Active History, October 2, 2017.
“Arab-Canadian Foodscapes and Authenticity,” Active History, May 12, 2016.
Links
The CCHP has facilitated the collection and preservation of letters, photographs, books, magazines, and academic journals documenting the Coptic experience in Canada. The records are available for consultation at the Clara Thomas Archives, York University. https://thecchp.com/archives/
The CCHP welcomes submissions of scholarly articles and immigrants’ stories for publication. Please follow the link to find the guidelines and information on how to submit. https://thecchp.com/about/digital-cafe-2/
To learn about the transition to Egypt Migrations, visit: https://thecchp.com/2020/09/06/from-cchp-to-egypt-migrations/