Gifts from Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada Muhammedi Shezan

In August 1972, military leader and despot Idi Amin expelled Asian Ugandans from the country, professing to return control of the economy to "Ugandan citizens." Within ninety days, 50,000 Ugandans of South Asian descent were forced to leave and seek asylum elsewhere; nearly 8,000 resettled in Canada. Shezan Muhammedi's Gifts from Amin documents how these women, children, and men--including doctors, engineers, business leaders, and members of Muhammedi's own family--responded to the threat in Uganda and rebuilt their lives in Canada. This major migration event marked the first time Canada accepted a large group of predominantly Muslim, non-European, non-white refugees.

Building on extensive archival research and oral histories, Muhammedi provides a nuanced case study on the relationship between public policy, refugee resettlement, and assimilation tactics in the twentieth century. He