When I came to Montreal in the winter of 2003, it was the warm embrace of the Grenadian community that kept me from getting on a plane and heading right back.
I arrived here, barely out of adolescence, and living away from home for the first time. I remember the feeling of anticipation I initially experienced, Montreal appeared rife with possibilities.
I also remember the overwhelming feeling of yearning for home that marked my first Canadian winter. These contradictory circulating emotions of possibility and loss continue to define my experience as a diasporic subject, a Black Caribbean woman, navigating the difficult realities of transnational life.
One of the enduring themes of my life in Montreal has been my commitment to my academic life and to community.
These two critical areas of my life coalesced in 2015 and culminated in me pursuing a PhD program at Queen’s University’s department of Geography. When I left Montreal it was with the full backing of my community.
Now, I am back seeking the help of said community to move this project forward.
The project will focus on the role of emotion in the lives of women of Caribbean descent in Montreal and the ways in which they shape how women negotiate the transnational space of diaspora in the face of both personal and state-initiated constraints.
I am interested in how Caribbean women, like myself, continue to support families, and build communities, in spite of the difficulties they may face.
I am asking, how do these women feel in the face of these encroachments?
I am therefore appealing to the women of the Caribbean community in Montreal to help me move this project forward. Let us document the fact that we are here, thriving, and fighting for our lives, and future generations.
Help me to make the best project possible. I know that I can count on you!
If you are interested, please contact me:
Tesfa “Aki” Peterson
15tap1@queensu.ca
(514) 834 2181
