Between self, family and society: Syrian male perspectives on intimate partner relationship negotiation in The Netherlands

In: Huizinga , R & de Valk , H A G 2020 ' Between self, family and society: Syrian male perspectives on intimate partner relationship negotiation in The Netherlands ' NIDI Working paper , no. 2020/04 .

Abstract

This paper aims to advance understandings of young Syrian men in forced displacement in relation to the frequently partial and ambiguous position of immigrant men in societal debates on gender- and partner roles, debates in which immigrant men frequently find themselves as static agents. Such debatesoften produce and reinforce one-sided accounts of husbands, partners or potential partners whose relationship's attitudes, traditions and behaviours seem to abide by fixed blueprints. Earlier studies, however, emphasise nuanced and plural understandings of immigrant men and call attention to men as agentic individuals who actively negotiate emotional, economic and political hardships (Charsley, 2005; Gallo, 2006; Huizinga and van Hoven, 2020). Moreover, Hyman et al. (2008) and Shirpak et al. (2011) illustrate experiences of intimate partner relationships after migration to be both positive andnegative, depending on the agentic capacities of immigrant men to adapt to new circumstances.