Cultural Dimensions of African Immigrant Housing in Toronto: A Qualitative Insight

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of Ghanaians and Somalis in Toronto, highlighting the multifaceted interplays between their cultures, housing problems, and coping strategies. We found that, unlike the situation in their homelands where many were involved in communal living out of desire, in Toronto many are driven to live communally for reasons of cost. Also, some respondents have to either improvise, or totally forgo, various culinary practices because of the ways homes are designed in Toronto. Perhaps, no other cultural attribute was found to be more consequential in the housing decisions of our respondents than their religion; not only did it influence their choice of neighborhood and whether or not their internal living arrangements were gendered, but it also had some bearing on the acquisition of interest-laden loans for housing among many Somalis.

Keywords::

• Housing
• culture
• African immigrants
• Ghanaians
• Somalis
• Toronto

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our deep thanks to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for its financial support. We would also like to thank Richard Titus-Glover and Janice Anderson for their help in our field data collection.