Sheila Htoo

You came to Innis through the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program, and now, working on your PhD, two of your research areas include the political ecology of war, and peacebuilding in Burma/Myanmar. How has your own journey as a refugee informed your goals?

During my formative years as a stateless ethnic Karen person, I experienced life in a refugee camp on the Thailand-Burma border. My worldview, my study interests, and my life goals have definitely been shaped by my experience, including my research on the political ecology of war and conflicts. A military coup produced the current regime in Myanmar, and this regime has basically removed the civilian, democratically elected government. People face military violence daily.

I focus on peacebuilding because I long for peace as a refugee. But also, my family, my community, the ethnic minority, and the whole country right now are longing for genuine, positive peace, not negative peace. By that I mean we talk about peace when there is no fighting, or an end of war. Actually, in my research, I focus on peace ecology, where we need to understand peace from a positive standpoint, such as the building of trust, and the building of communities. Peace is not only ending active conflict but supporting the infrastructure for peace to last.

For me, the journey is really to be able to give back and to see that my life is more than my own family or my own life experience; it’s for the greater impact and the greater good for the community as well, and hopefully for the country. I think this was instilled in me as a child and also as a Karen person through my family heritage.

My grandparents have been displaced for the last 50 or 60 years since the country was ruled by the military. I’m the third generation of refugees. My grandparents and father were leaders in their refugee communities, and they wanted me to pursue an education and become a community leader too. Education was key to personal growth and also to freedom—for our mind, but also freedom for political rights as a people.

You’ve been working as a researcher, advocate, and translator for Toronto’s refugee community — and especially with ethnic Karen refugees — for many years. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?

To give you some context, when I landed in Toronto, it was a shock, culturally speaking. As a camp refugee, I had no access to electricity or any knowledge of the outside world, yet I had a dream of going to university and studying urban issues. The Student Refugee Program was essential in helping me get started financially. Also, U of T’s bridging program, the Innis Registrar’s Office — particularly Donald Boere — and the entire staff and student community were instrumental in helping me navigate many barriers.

All this is to say that I think building bridges and breaking down barriers for refugee communities are two of the most important things I’ve learned. Language-based, cultural, academic, financial, social, and many other barriers may hinder refugees’ successful integration. Beyond my research career, I was trained as an interpreter and continue to work as one for the Karen community, connecting with people every day. Interpreters are much more than translators; they are cultural brokers, helping to break down barriers in our healthcare system, for example. Patients and their doctors can be so far apart when they’re talking. Sometimes when I’m interpreting, I almost feel like I’m the only one who understands both worlds. It’s incredibly fulfilling when I get to help build a bridge across cultural beliefs related to treatments and medicine.

(Photo of Sheila Htoo by Shayla Anderson)