Sub plenary: Conflicts within families in migration processes with the example of “honor related violence” in Sweden

ABSTRACT

The World Values Survey has shown that Swedish values concerning individualism, rationalism, and secularism differ fundamentally from more traditional societies. This clash of values becomes articulated in the field of family relations. When migrants move to Sweden, their traditional values regarding reproduction, sexuality and family ties are often challenged by their children, the so-called second generation immigrants, who are more influenced by Swedish values compared to their parents.

This presentation deals with such family conflicts that may occur in migration processes. In Sweden, these conflicts have been framed in the discourse of ‘honor related oppression and violence’. What is ‘honor’ in this context? What is its function? Different dimensions of the theoretical and practical implications in concept of ‘honor’ in the process of socializing children into traditional gender roles will be elaborated upon in this presentation with the use of examples from Sweden. How can such family conflicts be understood and reconciled? What general trends in family conflicts can be identified in the transition from traditional to modern society?