Former CURA Fellow Candace Lukasik Conducts Fieldwork on Coptic Christian Migration in Egypt
Former CURA Fellow Candace Lukasik traveled to Upper Egypt to conduct ethnographic research with Coptic Christian communities. Her fieldwork explores how news of U.S. immigration enforcement, including detention, deportation, and changing asylum policies, is reshaping local understandings of migration and opportunity.
During the trip, Lukasik conducted interviews across several communities, gaining valuable insight into the village, church, and diaspora networks that shape migration decisions. One of her most significant findings was the widespread uncertainty surrounding migration to the United States. Rather than abandoning long-held aspirations to migrate, many participants described taking a cautious “wait and see” approach as U.S. immigration policies continue to evolve.
The research raises important questions about how migration aspirations change during periods of political uncertainty and how church communities help interpret these developments for their congregants. Lukasik plans to return to Egypt to continue the project and complete additional interviews, while also preparing a journal article that situates her findings within broader conversations about migration governance, transnational religious communities, and the global effects of U.S. immigration policy.
Candace Lukasik was a recipient of the 2026 CURA Research Travel Grant.