A Phenomenological Study of the Acculturation Strategies of Afghan Child Laborers (Case Study: Hami Parto Center, District 5 of Tehran)

علوم اجتماعی دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد

Article 10, Volume 21, Issue 1 - Serial Number 47, March 2024, Pages 313-335   

Document Type: Case Study

DOI: 10.22067/social.2024.87081.1485

Authors

Elham Ghanizadeh¹; Samad Rasoulzadeh Aghdam^{* 2}; Mehrdad Mohammadian³

¹PhD Candidate in Sociology, Khalkhal Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khalkhal, Iran

²Associate Professor of Family and Women's Studies Department, Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

³Assistant Professor of Sociology Department, Khalkhal Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khalkhal, Iran

Abstract

As a neighboring country, Afghanistan is facing serious security and economic issues, and many Afghans emigrate to adjacent countries in search of improved living conditions. Iran is one of the main destinations for these immigrants, who often enter Iran illegally without any special skills and abilities, and are compelled to engage in low-level jobs. The children of these immigrants are also forced to work due to the economic problems of their families. Given the fact that many Afghan children and adolescents were born in Iran or emigrated to this country at a young age, the issue of their acculturation is of paramount importance. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to shed light on the acculturation strategies of Afghan child laborers in Iran. In the present study, which adopts a qualitative method and a phenomenological approach, the semi-structured in-depth interview technique has been employed for data collection. The participants were Afghan children admitted to the Parto Support Center in District 5 of Tehran, 18 of whom were interviewed. The participants were selected using purposive sampling method with maximum diversity. The analysis was conducted using the Moustakas method. According to the findings, the acculturation strategies of Afghan child laborers include assimilation, separation, coordination or adaptation, marginalization or isolation. Integration is the most common form of acculturation strategy, as it allows Afghan child laborers to adapt to the identity and culture of the host community while preserving their cultural identity and values.
 
 
 

Keywords

Acculturation; Afghan Children; Working Children; Phenomenology

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