Men Become Baby Dolls and Women Become Lions

African Immigrant Men's Challenges with Transition and Integration

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2992845
AutoresP Okeke-Ihejirika (0000-0002-1012-4539), Bukola Salami (0000-0003-1030-0464)
Año2018
Volumen50
Número3
Páginas91-110
Fecha de publicación2018-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCanadian ethnic studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0008-3496 • E-ISSN: 1913-8253
EditorialProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/ces.2018.0024
OpenAlexW2895053065
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas13
Referencias citadas5

Over the past decade, scholars have begun to explore neglected aspects of immigrant family life such as gender relations, domestic violence, parenting, and relationships with service providers. Many of these studies, however, are based on women's experiences. As an equally crucial starting point in building sustainable and resilient immigrant communities, our study focuses on the experiences of African immigrant men in a Canadian context. It reveals African immigrant men's frustration with their search for a better life. We conducted three focus groups with twenty African immigrants in Alberta, Canada. Our thematic analysis of participants' responses identified three main stressors among this group: challenges with economic integration, changing ideals about masculinities and gender relations across transnational spaces, and tensions in the parent–child relationship. These findings suggest that despite the vulnerabilities they face in Canada, African men could play a strategic role as critical agents of change in families' transitions and integration. Overall, our study calls for the active engagement of both African immigrant men and women in developing policies and practices that impact their everyday lives

Context (archaeology · Face (sociological concept · Focus group · Geography · Immigration · Political science · Qualitative research · Service (business · Service provider · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Gender Studies · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics