Exploring how young Iranian immigrant women navigate their cultural differences of home and school in Vancouver

Sholeh Sharifi

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14657733

Abstract

This research addresses the gap in the literature on how first-generation young Iranian immigrant women conciliate differences in their identity between home and school. It captures the narratives of 6 Iranian immigrant women living in Vancouver, British Columbia; the women are between the ages of 18 and 24. Based upon semi-structured interviews and using a qualitative approach and narrative inquiry, the study explores how these young women negotiate their own space despite different cultural demands from school and family. The main research question asks: How do young Iranian immigrant women navigate the differences between school culture and home culture? The data is approached and analysed by drawing on the transnational feminist theoretical framework. Focusing on the themes of education and school experience, family relations, and intimate relations, the research looks at the ways in which these women, especially those facing multiple oppressions of gender, class, sexuality, and race, mediate the different expectations of parents, school, and mainstream Canadian culture. Key words: Iranian immigrants, young Iranian immigrant women, transnational feminism, identity, first-generation racialized women

Highlights

Statement of the Research ProblemImmigration to a new country can be a challenging experience for any young individual
Intergenerational differences begin to manifest themselves during adolescence, creating yet more issues for both the young immigrants and their parents who themselves are straining to cope with the challenges of settling in a new country
The research questions in this study address how the process of migration influenced the identity of these young Iranian Canadian males and how they navigate this identity

Summary

Introduction

Statement of the Research ProblemImmigration to a new country can be a challenging experience for any young individual. For young Iranian women arriving in Canada, immigration means facing a path full of challenges in the new receiving society They are confronted with a new language; they must adjust to a new environment, form new friendships, and more importantly attend high school—on its own a difficult experience for many adolescents. Vappu Tyyska (2003) explores the relationship between Iranian Canadian parents and their adolescent children in Toronto She conducted her interviews with 16 Iranian mixed- gender teenagers living in Toronto. Tyyska (2003; 2010), adopts a cautious tone, suggesting that among more ‘traditional’ structured Iranian immigrant families, signs of a patriarchal relationship can be perceived, with fathers being strict with their daughters, allowing them less agency for self-expression within the family It remains, that most of the adolescent participants in Tyyska’s (2010) study express parental flexibility and behavioural change through negotiation

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