Abstract
A PhD student wants to research the problems faced by Muslim families in maintaining their faith and cultural practices in England, in particular the intergenerational issues that arise when parents have immigrated from a (predominantly) Muslim country and their children are born in England, where they are exposed to practices and beliefs that are in conflict with the culture and beliefs of their parents.
The research aims to explore: how parents feel about and deal with their experience of living within a non-Muslim culture, including problems in maintaining their faith and cultural practices within the family; whether they would prefer to send their children to faith schools; whether they attempt to minimize the contact of their children with the wider non-Muslim culture; whether they feel that the law discriminates against their culture and faith, and what more the predominant culture could do to respect their culture and faith.
In the case of their children the research will explore: whether the children identify with the culture and faith of their parents; whether they feel pressurized to do so; how they feel about and deal with that pressure (if it exists); how they manage any cultural conflicts with their parents or their non-Muslim peers; whether they are trying to forge a dual identity that incorporates the culture and faith of their parents and elements of the predominant ‘English’ culture; whether the predominant culture could do more to accommodate them as second generation immigrants and whether their own community could do more to accommodate them as second generation immigrants.
It will also explore issues of gender with a focus on the experience of women: how different genders navigate their roles, and whether they have altered their view of their identity and roles under influence from the wider society; for example, women wanting to work, learn English, or have more freedom than is traditional within their culture.
While it is not the main focus of the research, the student wants to find out how much the predominant view of Muslim culture as oppressive of women is supported by the expressed views of the Muslim women in the sample group.
Participants will be recruited as families through mosques and community groups in the Bradford area. In order to be culturally respectful, consent will be obtained from the head of the family and from each family member. The researcher is herself from the Muslim community and a member of a local mosque. She is fluent in Urdu and Punjabi.
Given the sensitivity of the Muslim community and their perception, in many cases, that they are negatively evaluated by the wider culture, the researcher needs to provide assurance that she is non-judgmental. Therefore, all participants will be assured of confidentiality and anonymity. This assurance will extend to disclosure of practices that are regarded as oppressive, including forced marriage, without which participants may not talk freely and so which would undermine the research. Anonymity will also be maintained in the case of illegal practices, such as taking children out of school for extended periods to visit the wider family in Pakistan. Participants will not be asked directly whether these things have occurred but such practices may be revealed during the semi-structured interviews about the participants’ feelings and experiences.
Would you approve this?
Is it acceptable to give an assurance that illegality will not be disclosed to relevant authorities?
Should the researcher at least provide participants who have been subject to oppressive practices with information about support and advice services? Or would this be an unwarranted interference that could compromise the non-judgmental stance of the researcher?
Are there any problems in gaining consent that the researcher may not have anticipated?
Are there any other problems that the researcher may not have anticipated?