A Collectivist Perspective for Addressing Family Violence in Minority Newcomer Communities in North America: Culturally Integrative Family Safety Responses

Abstract

This article presents a review and critique of current family violence services in North America with a view to understanding how these reflect primarily individualist assumptions linked to dominant social norms. Many minority‐status ethno‐cultural communities in North America share more collectivist traditions. With a particular focus on recently arrived immigrant and refugee Arab families in Canada, we explore the implications of a collectivist orientation for goodness‐of‐fit between available services and family experiences and needs related to family violence. Drawing on collectivist perspectives, with attention to intersectionality and ecosystems, we propose a culturally integrative practice model and provide a case example.