Peer-reviewed article
Solely Carers and Nurturers?
Roxane Caron, Marie Fally, Marie-Jeanne Blain ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed article examines how Syrian refugee mothers in Canada and Lebanon experience motherhood in the context of violent conflict and forced migration. It uses an intersectional research perspective to understand how dominant expectations of motherhood are transformed by displacement and exile. The study focuses on three mothers' experiences of nurturing children while navigating discrimination and structural challenges.
Key points
- Motherhood becomes laden with heightened expectations in contexts of violent conflict and exile
- Social construction of motherhood requires attention to how it transforms through displacement experiences
- Refugee mothers experience complex identities beyond simplistic 'good' versus 'bad' mother binaries
- Mothers navigate simultaneous experiences of discrimination and empowerment as refugees
Limitations
This is a qualitative study with only three participants, so findings cannot be generalised to all Syrian refugee mothers. The article focuses on mothers' identities and experiences rather than measuring specific outcomes for child well-being.
Abstract
Abstract Dominant discourses surrounding motherhood assume mothers to be self-sacrificing, omnipresent, and ever willing and able to respond to the needs and wants of their children. This article argues that, in the context of violent conflict and exile, mothering becomes yet more laden with expectations as mothers are faced with critical situations. The article draws on research from an intersectional perspective that is aimed at a better understanding of the trajectories of refugees from Syria who have settled in Canada and Lebanon and for whom motherhood emerged as a salient aspect of identity and experience. The article argues that more attention should be paid to the social construction of motherhood through its transformation in the context of violent conflict and exile. The article is concerned with the identities that these experiences unfold for mothers, far beyond simplistic binaries of “good” versus “bad” mothers. The article explores how three refugee mothers from Syria who experienced forced migration have nurtured their children, while it reveals their realities of discrimination and empowerment at the crossroads of structural dominant forces.