At a book launch held in Montréal in November 2025, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation celebrated the achievements of its alumni members. Among them, 2009 Scholar Laura Madokoro continues to distinguish herself through the rigor of her historical work and the scope of her research on issues of refuge and mobility.

An essential work for understanding the history of urban sanctuary

Published in the McGill Queen’s Refugee and Forced Migration Studies series, Sanctuary in Pieces offers a historical re-examination of practices of protection, solidarity and hospitality in the city of Montréal/Mooniyaang/Tiohtià:ke over more than two centuries. Through an innovative lens, Laura Madokoro traces the trajectories of people seeking refuge, including fugitives from slavery, wanted individuals, internationally known anarchists and war resisters, before examining the rise of modern sanctuary practices beginning in the 1970s.