Israeli-Jewish Motherhood in Light of Immigration to Canada Michal Geva-Carmeli

How did I arrive to this topic? Familiarity with the community – accessible information Personal experiences Interested in expanding my knowledge about the impact of immigration on mothering

Purpose of the study The study aims to examine how Israeli-Jewish mothers experience their motherhood in context of immigration Other questions explore the possible influences of immigration on other motherhood aspects: 1. Mothering responsibilities 2. Mothers’ Israeli-Jewish identity and its impact on their parenting

Struggles and solutions at the start Limited and outdated existing Canadian studies on the investigated community, especially in the aspect of motherhood 1. justification for the study 2. examining the subject through the lens of time 3. including comparison to other communities and considering differences and commonalities

Struggles and solutions at the start (continued…) incompatibilities between selected theories and data (from the interviews) Re-organizing ideas and changing to more compatible theories

Theoretical Perspectives Surveillance and governmentality (Foucault) Surveillance applied in interactions by comparisons of parental behaviour and perpetuates social standards for immigrant motherhood. surveillance and self-surveillance “govern” mothers’ subjectivity by striving to adhere to norms The “punishment” for not fitting the norms and the parental standards reflected in oppressive feelings.

Theoretical Perspectives (continued…) Intersectionalities (Feminism) Examining how the additional immigrant identity of the mothers is integrated with mothers’ multiple identities, especially with the mothering identity.

IPA (Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis) Methodology Relates to the inquiry field (phenomenology) and is strongly connected to hermeneutic or interpretative tradition. The outcome is the reflection of both participants and researcher. Encourages profound interpretation analysis, beyond descriptive level. The role of the researcher is central, hence analysis process should be conducted carefully and strive to adhere to the participants’ view. Investigates in-depth small sample of participants and how they make sense of their experiences.

Design and analysis Interviews of a small sample – 3 participants Open-ended, semi-structured questions Interviews were made in the native language and were translated to English Participants were offered to review the results and make their own changes Analysis included rich data, such as non-verbal communication, questions and comments directed by the participants

Findings Four subjects were found as important by the Israeli mothers: Adapting to a new milieu “Stirring things up” Undermining the sense of effective mother Striving for sense of well-being Sacrificing for better life “Better life” “Sacrifices” “Saving the family” Having difficulties in leaving family behind Striving for a peaceful life Being attached to Israeli attributes Seeking for better options Scarifying the children’s friendships “Taking a toll for a better life” Holding a strong identity in diaspora Belonging to Israeli-Jewish community

Tips Start early – leave enough time to play with your thoughts and for possible unanticipated changes Consult other people – get exposed to different viewpoints While using the library website, broaden your search of scholarship - look in different databases

Thank you and good luck!