Orla McGarry | University of Limerick (original) (raw)
Papers by Orla McGarry
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 13676261 2013 878793, Jan 31, 2014
Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationship... more Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationships they have with their religion, and what freedom and autonomy might mean in this context. Despite such evidence, popular and academic discourses of the emancipated and free female subject of neoliberal society eclipse such important themes for Muslim youth. Using qualitative evidence from a study of young Muslim women in Ireland, we identify how religio-cultural dimensions are central within young women's social lives and personal worlds. Our analysis of these young women's narratives draws on structuration theory to examine what can be described as their circumscribed choices and freedoms. Focusing on the gendered norms, meanings and sanctions that circulate within family and community, we suggest that their social and personal worlds reflect a gendered responsibility and agency, as structured through their religio-cultural system. Maintaining religious integrity is a key dimension, reinforced through close interactions, relationships and identity performances at home and with friends. The research was conducted with both female and male teenagers using participant-led interviews and a range of other qualitative methods. From a total 33 Muslim participants, this paper draws on the narratives of 15 young women, aged between 12 and 19 years.
This article reviews Migrant Activism and Integration from Below in Ireland (Lentin & Moreo, 2012... more This article reviews Migrant Activism and Integration from Below in Ireland (Lentin & Moreo, 2012). It focuses on important themes relating to migration in Ireland and internationally. Given the isolation often associated with the migration experience, organizations and associations can be seen as providing a vital social link for migrants in contemporary Ireland. Migrant-led organizations and associations provide a communal focus and a rallying point for group solidarity, and are shown to be a central means through which migrants both assert their presence in Ireland and engage in a de facto process of integration. This article draws attention to migration issues at a time when, due to Ireland's recent economic crisis, migration and integration policies have fallen from the political agenda in spite of continued high levels of in-migration in Ireland.
This volume stems from the Third Global Conference on Strangers, Aliens and Foreigners and explor... more This volume stems from the Third Global Conference on Strangers, Aliens and Foreigners and explores anxiety and anger, excitement and exoticism, fright and fascination embodied in the figure of Stranger. Within fourteen chapters, the authors from all over the world reach over the boundaries of academic disciplines to unveil and explore a number of the Stranger's countless faces. Some of those faces come unanticipated, some are recognisable, many – disturbingly familiar. Ductile and endlessly shifting, at times wary of clear structures and escaping strict definitions, the Stranger frequents these pages as an immigrant, a representative of sexual or ethnic minority, a legendary creature; his/her otherness is seen through the lens of the West or represents the forces of Westernisation. Alarming and alluring, s/he peeks from behind the familiar, seeks to break through the constraints of the dichotomised relations, and reveals his/her (omni)presence in our lives and in ourselves.
The experience of growing up as an immigrant poses a series of challenges for youths in contempor... more The experience of growing up as an immigrant poses a series of challenges for youths in contemporary society. Due to daily school attendance and exposure to the media, immigrant youths are heavily influenced by the norms and expectations of the host society. However they are simultaneously expected to conform to, and to uphold the values of the immigrant community. Based on empirical data gathered from qualitative research with 32 teenaged members of a Muslim community in the west of Ireland, this paper examines the manner in which balances between conflicting social and cultural expectations are negotiated. Structuration theory is used as an analytical prism in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of teenaged members of an immigrant community. Treating the immigrant community and host society as separate, yet co-existent social systems, the structures of each are examined. As each structure is composed of a separate set of normative rules and values, the task ...
Journal of Youth Studies, 2014
Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationship... more Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationships they have with their religion, and what freedom and autonomy might mean in this context. Despite such evidence, popular and academic discourses of the emancipated and free female subject of neoliberal society eclipse such important themes for Muslim youth. Using qualitative evidence from a study of young Muslim women in Ireland, we identify how religio-cultural dimensions are central within young women's social lives and personal worlds. Our analysis of these young women's narratives draws on structuration theory to examine what can be described as their circumscribed choices and freedoms. Focusing on the gendered norms, meanings and sanctions that circulate within family and community, we suggest that their social and personal worlds reflect a gendered responsibility and agency, as structured through their religio-cultural system. Maintaining religious integrity is a key dimension, reinforced through close interactions, relationships and identity performances at home and with friends. The research was conducted with both female and male teenagers using participant-led interviews and a range of other qualitative methods. From a total 33 Muslim participants, this paper draws on the narratives of 15 young women, aged between 12 and 19 years.
Childhood and youth studies have seen the development of a range of innovative research methods o... more Childhood and youth studies have seen the development of a range of innovative
research methods over the past two decades. However, many studies have
focused on the ideals of empowerment and ‘giving voice’ rather than developing
understandings of the nuanced and complex experiences of children and youth.
This paper argues that the development of an insightful sociology of childhood
and youth necessitates an understanding of complex, fluid, and often political,
processes of youth experience. It argues that the use of research methods characterized
by a variety of power dynamics can generate situated knowledges of
youth experience. Ongoing reflexive analysis of researcher and participant
positionality in research encounters is posited as affording insightful and
in-depth research perspectives. This is illustrated through discussion of qualitative
research carried out with Muslim teens in the west of Ireland which involved the use of focus groups, visual narratives and an online blog site.
This article is based on research among a group of Muslim youth living in the west of Ireland as ... more This article is based on research among a group of Muslim youth living in the west of Ireland as part of a study on "social belonging" and identity. One part of the research involved designing a youth centered, participatory research method, in the form of a blog site, to investigate what young people say and do when they are asked to talk about themselves and their relationships, with minimal researcher involvement. Participants were presented with a "blank virtual canvas" where they determined what became discussed. Twenty-two teenaged Muslims—comprising close friends as well as fellow students of the same school and living in the same West of Ireland town—contributed to a time limited, closed blog site over a four month period. The blog site offers interesting snippets of Muslim identification, and how they choose to present themselves to others. In the process of contributing to this exercise, we can also observe subtle means through which inclusion and exclusion co-exist online, refracting young people's offline worlds. The blog affords an opportunity to consciously "do" friendship by presenting to each other images, symbols and statements of friendship that invoke both cohesion and closure. The research unravels certain gendered patterns in online performances. In demonstrating this evidence, we argue that the study of online interactions of youth can provide an alternative window in exploring relationships, identification and social positioning.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 13676261 2013 878793, Jan 31, 2014
Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationship... more Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationships they have with their religion, and what freedom and autonomy might mean in this context. Despite such evidence, popular and academic discourses of the emancipated and free female subject of neoliberal society eclipse such important themes for Muslim youth. Using qualitative evidence from a study of young Muslim women in Ireland, we identify how religio-cultural dimensions are central within young women's social lives and personal worlds. Our analysis of these young women's narratives draws on structuration theory to examine what can be described as their circumscribed choices and freedoms. Focusing on the gendered norms, meanings and sanctions that circulate within family and community, we suggest that their social and personal worlds reflect a gendered responsibility and agency, as structured through their religio-cultural system. Maintaining religious integrity is a key dimension, reinforced through close interactions, relationships and identity performances at home and with friends. The research was conducted with both female and male teenagers using participant-led interviews and a range of other qualitative methods. From a total 33 Muslim participants, this paper draws on the narratives of 15 young women, aged between 12 and 19 years.
This article reviews Migrant Activism and Integration from Below in Ireland (Lentin & Moreo, 2012... more This article reviews Migrant Activism and Integration from Below in Ireland (Lentin & Moreo, 2012). It focuses on important themes relating to migration in Ireland and internationally. Given the isolation often associated with the migration experience, organizations and associations can be seen as providing a vital social link for migrants in contemporary Ireland. Migrant-led organizations and associations provide a communal focus and a rallying point for group solidarity, and are shown to be a central means through which migrants both assert their presence in Ireland and engage in a de facto process of integration. This article draws attention to migration issues at a time when, due to Ireland's recent economic crisis, migration and integration policies have fallen from the political agenda in spite of continued high levels of in-migration in Ireland.
This volume stems from the Third Global Conference on Strangers, Aliens and Foreigners and explor... more This volume stems from the Third Global Conference on Strangers, Aliens and Foreigners and explores anxiety and anger, excitement and exoticism, fright and fascination embodied in the figure of Stranger. Within fourteen chapters, the authors from all over the world reach over the boundaries of academic disciplines to unveil and explore a number of the Stranger's countless faces. Some of those faces come unanticipated, some are recognisable, many – disturbingly familiar. Ductile and endlessly shifting, at times wary of clear structures and escaping strict definitions, the Stranger frequents these pages as an immigrant, a representative of sexual or ethnic minority, a legendary creature; his/her otherness is seen through the lens of the West or represents the forces of Westernisation. Alarming and alluring, s/he peeks from behind the familiar, seeks to break through the constraints of the dichotomised relations, and reveals his/her (omni)presence in our lives and in ourselves.
The experience of growing up as an immigrant poses a series of challenges for youths in contempor... more The experience of growing up as an immigrant poses a series of challenges for youths in contemporary society. Due to daily school attendance and exposure to the media, immigrant youths are heavily influenced by the norms and expectations of the host society. However they are simultaneously expected to conform to, and to uphold the values of the immigrant community. Based on empirical data gathered from qualitative research with 32 teenaged members of a Muslim community in the west of Ireland, this paper examines the manner in which balances between conflicting social and cultural expectations are negotiated. Structuration theory is used as an analytical prism in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of teenaged members of an immigrant community. Treating the immigrant community and host society as separate, yet co-existent social systems, the structures of each are examined. As each structure is composed of a separate set of normative rules and values, the task ...
Journal of Youth Studies, 2014
Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationship... more Studies of young Western-born/raised Muslims show the multiple, complex and changing relationships they have with their religion, and what freedom and autonomy might mean in this context. Despite such evidence, popular and academic discourses of the emancipated and free female subject of neoliberal society eclipse such important themes for Muslim youth. Using qualitative evidence from a study of young Muslim women in Ireland, we identify how religio-cultural dimensions are central within young women's social lives and personal worlds. Our analysis of these young women's narratives draws on structuration theory to examine what can be described as their circumscribed choices and freedoms. Focusing on the gendered norms, meanings and sanctions that circulate within family and community, we suggest that their social and personal worlds reflect a gendered responsibility and agency, as structured through their religio-cultural system. Maintaining religious integrity is a key dimension, reinforced through close interactions, relationships and identity performances at home and with friends. The research was conducted with both female and male teenagers using participant-led interviews and a range of other qualitative methods. From a total 33 Muslim participants, this paper draws on the narratives of 15 young women, aged between 12 and 19 years.
Childhood and youth studies have seen the development of a range of innovative research methods o... more Childhood and youth studies have seen the development of a range of innovative
research methods over the past two decades. However, many studies have
focused on the ideals of empowerment and ‘giving voice’ rather than developing
understandings of the nuanced and complex experiences of children and youth.
This paper argues that the development of an insightful sociology of childhood
and youth necessitates an understanding of complex, fluid, and often political,
processes of youth experience. It argues that the use of research methods characterized
by a variety of power dynamics can generate situated knowledges of
youth experience. Ongoing reflexive analysis of researcher and participant
positionality in research encounters is posited as affording insightful and
in-depth research perspectives. This is illustrated through discussion of qualitative
research carried out with Muslim teens in the west of Ireland which involved the use of focus groups, visual narratives and an online blog site.
This article is based on research among a group of Muslim youth living in the west of Ireland as ... more This article is based on research among a group of Muslim youth living in the west of Ireland as part of a study on "social belonging" and identity. One part of the research involved designing a youth centered, participatory research method, in the form of a blog site, to investigate what young people say and do when they are asked to talk about themselves and their relationships, with minimal researcher involvement. Participants were presented with a "blank virtual canvas" where they determined what became discussed. Twenty-two teenaged Muslims—comprising close friends as well as fellow students of the same school and living in the same West of Ireland town—contributed to a time limited, closed blog site over a four month period. The blog site offers interesting snippets of Muslim identification, and how they choose to present themselves to others. In the process of contributing to this exercise, we can also observe subtle means through which inclusion and exclusion co-exist online, refracting young people's offline worlds. The blog affords an opportunity to consciously "do" friendship by presenting to each other images, symbols and statements of friendship that invoke both cohesion and closure. The research unravels certain gendered patterns in online performances. In demonstrating this evidence, we argue that the study of online interactions of youth can provide an alternative window in exploring relationships, identification and social positioning.