Protesting Against Mothers’ Surveillance: Salvadorian Mothers and Their Daughters Negotiating Adolescence in a Foreign Context

Abstract

This article examines how Salvadorian immigrant mothers and their daughters negotiate adolescence in a settlement context that differs from their home country. The author interviewed 42 women, all living in a midsized city in Ontario, Canada: 32 in-depth individual interviews were carried out with Salvadorian-born mothers and, separately, with one of their daughters (either adolescent or adult); and five interviews included mothers and their adolescent or adult daughters together (N = 10). A grounded theory approach was employed to explore the mother-daughter negotiation process from each person's point of view. The analysis revealed various strategies that mothers developed to guide their daughters through the adolescent years, and the diverse ways daughters resisted their mother's guidance while maintaining values such as respect and family loyalty. The findings highlight the resilience and resourcefulness of immigrant families in navigating the challenges of the transition to adulthood while also meeting the demands of acculturation into a foreign country.

The Settlement experience of Salvadoran refugees

“…There exists an intrinsic link in the effect that family bonds have in the subsequent placemaking and identity negotiations which take place between parents and children. As Carranza (2015) found in her work with mothers and daughters, there is a balancing act which Salvadoran children must undertake in an attempt to make sense of their relationship with their traditional parents and the new country of reception.…”

“…That is not to say that the trauma of the narrative does not impact me. Carranza (2015) argues that refugees' experiences serve as the framework for their meaning-making process and subsequently impact the strategies they use to raise and support their children. Poteet and Simmons (2016) found that Central American youth were often hugely affected by the difficult circumstances under which their parents migrated.…”

“…Cultural loss, adverse mental health impacts and spatial segregation all contribute to the different acculturation rates Latinx immigrants and their children can achieve. While children are likely to embrace the new cultural expectations and norms of Canada, the incoming immigrants are more likely to struggle as they navigate the new country (Carranza, 2015;Anison and Merali, 2015). Immigrant parents must simultaneously navigate their acculturation and the acculturation of their children, which includes identity formation and need to belong (Carranza, 2015).…”

“…While children are likely to embrace the new cultural expectations and norms of Canada, the incoming immigrants are more likely to struggle as they navigate the new country (Carranza, 2015;Anison and Merali, 2015). Immigrant parents must simultaneously navigate their acculturation and the acculturation of their children, which includes identity formation and need to belong (Carranza, 2015). Different rates of acculturation destabilize the typical bonds which hold families together as immigrant children attempt to navigate the cultural expectations present both in the home and in their day-to-day lives outside of it (Carranza, 2015).…”

Migrant families with children in Montreal, Canada and transnational family support: a protocol for a focused ethnography

“…Children are often central to migrants’ decision to migrate, and the education, health and future of their children are of the utmost importance 4 8. Loss of social support networks, experiences of discrimination and racism, a lack of employment and housing, a shift in social status, adapting to a new culture and language, and barriers in accessing education, health and social services, however, can have important effects on the well-being of migrant parents and their children 4 8 12 31–44. Parents face financial constraints, are preoccupied with work and therefore have insufficient time and money for raising their children 4 35 44.…”