Sometimes it's tough just fitting it all in': Identity Formation and Social Membership among Teenagers in an Immigrant Community in the West of Ireland (original) (raw)

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 ...

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