Shift in Masculine Status after Migration and Its Impact on Muslim Immigrant Men’s Integration in Canada

dc.contributor.advisorKazemipur, Abdie
dc.contributor.authorAkbary, Sayed Hamid
dc.contributor.committeememberNelson, Fiona
dc.contributor.committeememberMurry, Adam
dc.date2022-06
dc.date.accessioned2022-04-05T16:53:02Z
dc.date.available2022-04-05T16:53:02Z
dc.date.issued2022-03
dc.description.abstractThe involvement of some Muslim men in terrorist attacks and the so-called ‘honour killings’ since the 9/11 incident has generated a popular narrative in the West, in which Muslim immigrant men are viewed as unable or unwilling to integrate into Western societies due to the inconsistency they experience between the gender norms in their old and new countries. A corollary of this is another argument that Muslim immigrant men do experience an inconsistency between their lived experiences and expectations regarding their masculinity, and that this inconsistency manifests in the form of relationship conflicts in their private lives. However, scholars have overlooked Muslim men’s abilities to rid themselves of such inconsistencies and adapt to host society’s cultural gender norms. As such, this lack of knowledge has created an oversimplified image of Muslim men as individuals who are emotionally vulnerable and consistently choose to resist the idea of changing their attitudes after migration to Western countries. This research attempts to address this shortcoming. Using data from 33 semi-structured interviews with Afghan Muslim men in Canada, the results show that the participants are diverse in their reactions to Canadian societies’ liberal and egalitarian gender norms, despite coming from one of the world’s most conservative countries. The data reveal three typical responses to such conflicts – Traditionalist, Assimilationist, and Integrationist – and that their choice of any of these responses has a lot to do with their socioeconomic experiences in the broader society. These findings show a complex, multidimensional, evolving, and diverse process of cultural adaptation for Muslim men after migration, a process that is not adequately captured through a discussion of jurisprudential rulings. Specifically, I highlight a) the diversity of these Muslim men’s responses to their perceived conflicts between the gender norms in their old and new homes; b) the changing nature of those responses; and c) the significant impact of their broader socioeconomic experiences on the responses they adopt. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of the debates on political correctness and a new surge in the out-migration of Afghans to Western countries after the recent Taliban takeover.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAkbary, S. H. (2022). Shift in masculine status after migration and its impact on Muslim immigrant men’s integration in Canada (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39673
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/114531
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArtsen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectMigrationen_US
dc.subjectImmigrant Integrationen_US
dc.subjectMuslim Minoritiesen_US
dc.subjectMuslim Menen_US
dc.subjectMuslim Masculinitiesen_US
dc.subjectCanadaen_US
dc.subject.classificationGender Studiesen_US
dc.subject.classificationEthnic and Racial Studiesen_US
dc.titleShift in Masculine Status after Migration and Its Impact on Muslim Immigrant Men’s Integration in Canadaen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineSociologyen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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