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Safe Harbour
by Rob Csernyik
photography by Horst Herget
Forced migration is not just an academic interest for Professor Yvonne Su. It is a lived experience. Su’s father was a refugee who fled communist China. He eventually brought Su and her mother to Canada for “a typical immigrant life” – which included a move from Scarborough to the small Ontario town of Holland Landing, where the family opened a restaurant.
“Even as a teenager, I remember customers at my family’s restaurant making comments suggesting I was the ‘right type’ of immigrant – as if there was an expectation or assumption about how immigrants should behave or assimilate,” Su recalls. Those early experiences, she adds, made her aware of the misunderstandings and nuances surrounding displacement, identity and belonging that are present in her field.
Today, Su is an expert on forced migration in York’s Department of Equity Studies. York University recently appointed her as the new director of the Centre for Refugee Studies, Canada’s oldest and largest research hub focused on forced migration. In this role, Su leads a $3.1-million research project funded by the New Frontiers in Research Fund, examining the unintended consequences of climate change adaptation initiatives.
York Professor Michaela Hynie, who serves on executive committees for both the Centre for Refugee Studies and the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, praises Su’s work: “Yvonne’s scholarship amplifies voices often overlooked in migration policy and research. Her community-engaged approach yields impactful insights.”
Su specializes in climate adaptation, migrant remittances, post-disaster recovery, and LGBTQ+ refugee experiences. In 2023, her expert testimony contributed to a successful asylum case for a gay Venezuelan man facing persecution. “My whole academic career led me to this point,” Su says. “Rarely do I get to directly influence someone’s life chances like that.”
While Su’s research has real-world impact, she’s equally passionate about nurturing the next generation of migration scholars. In the classroom, Su uses innovative methods such as multimedia materials and simulations to give students first-hand perspectives on displacement realities.
“You need to feel those human experiences to truly understand and relate,” Su explains. “That’s how research can change lives.” ■
