Diaspora by Design

by Moghissi, Haideh; Rahnema, Saeed; Goodman, Mark J.

• ISBN13: 9780802095435
• ISBN10: 0802095437
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-10
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr

Summary

Few groups face as many misconceptions within their new countries as do Muslim immigrants. This book challenges the common misperceptions of Muslim immigrants as a homogeneous, religiously driven group and identifies the tensions they experience within their host countries.A comparative, multi-ethnic study, based on over two thousand interviews, Diaspora by Design examines Muslim populations that have settled in Canada, Britain, Iran, and Palestine. Utilizing hard socio-economic data as well as qualitative analysis, the authors show the remarkable diversity and divisions between Muslim immigrant populations along urban-rural, cultural, class, and gender lines. They argue that integration is a two-way exchange that requires a readiness on the part of the host society to remove barriers that prevent the full social and economic participation of immigrant populations.Extensively researched and thoughtfully provocative, Diaspora by Design is a much-needed work that provides an accurate and dynamic depiction of the lives of Muslim immigrants away from their homelands.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 3
The Making of Muslim Diasporas	p. 7
On the Methodology of This Research	p. 17
Community Profiles, Social Origins, and Status	p. 25
The Four Communities in Canada - Afghans, Iranians, Pakistanis, and Palestinians	p. 26
Data from Settings outside Canada	p. 46
Family and Spousal Relations in Diaspora	p. 57
Gender Relations Pre- and Post-Migration	p. 65
Education, Job Satisfaction, and Spousal Relations	p. 75
Religion and Spousal Relations	p. 78
Religious Identities and Identification	p. 84
Religious Type, Religious Identity, and Religious Practice	p. 88
Gender and Religious Identity	p. 100
Maintaining Religious Identity through the Generations	p. 102
The Role of Mosques and Islamic Associations	p. 106
Youths: Living between Two Generations and Two Cultures	p. 111
Demographics	p. 112
Family Relations	p. 115
Maintaining or Parting with the Original Culture	p. 124
Religion	p. 130
Barriers to Integration	p. 137
Social and Economic Integration	p. 144
Education as a Tool for Economic Success	p. 152
Employment	p. 155
Perceptions about Life in the New Country	p. 160
Sense of (Not) Belonging	p. 168
Diaspora and a Sense of Belonging	p. 168
Discrimination and Social Exclusion	p. 176
Conclusions	p. 193
Notes	p. 197
Bibliography	p. 203
About the Authors	p. 215
Index	p. 217
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