U.S. war resisters’ quest for refuge in Canada : a comparative study of Vietnam and Afghanistan Iraq war resisters’ migration experiences When U.S. war resisters turned to Canada as refuge during the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan Iraq Wars they not only hoped to forestall deployment to a combat zone but also to build new lives and make a new home abroad. In her empirical study Sarah J. Grünendahl explores and juxtaposes how well the two war resister generations have been able to establish themselves after all and to what extent they partake in Canadian society. The comparison is instructive for migration and refugee studies altogether: The war resisters in the sample unlike many other migrant populations did not have to contend with language and cultural barriers in their destination country given similarities between the United States and Canada. Sarah J. Grünendahls research thus allows for an analysis of the effects of residency on migrants adaptation and participation in the receiving society isolated from these two common barriers. Further the study sheds light on how refugees and non citizens can employ civic engagement to claim a place for themselves and overcome societal exclusion. About the author Sarah J. Grünendahl is research assistant at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf and earned her doctorate in Political Science at the University of Siegen. Her research interests include migration and refugee studies the effects of legal status on migrants incorporation and the nexus between societal participation place (attachment) and identity. Introduction Migration Citizenship Belonging South of the 49th Parallel: United States North of the 49th Parallel: Canada ‘The World’s Longest Undefended Border:’ Canada U.S. Relations Methodological Selection Study The Vietnam War Resisters The Afghanistan Iraq War Resisters Discussion Coclusion.