“For daddy this is home.” Negotiating fatherhood in the ethnic space of Reykjavík

• Main Author: Árdís Kristín Ingvarsdóttir 1970-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Mannfræði; Föðurhlutverk; Innflytjendur; Makar; Samfélag; Reykjavík; Maka; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/17071

In recent years there has been a slight increase in inter-ethnic relationships in Iceland. This thesis focuses on the experience of men who are raising children from inter-ethnic relationships, in an ethnic space that belongs to the mother of the child. This research explores how men’s gender changes according to their circumstances. Their own transnational lives as well as the current social surroundings have an impact on how they raise their children. They emphasize gender equality and use both male and female role models as parental guides. Some complexities were revealed. The men admired the sacrifices older generation of men made by working long hours but at the same time they want to have more time with their own children and be emotionally closer to them. They were more often on good terms with their fathers-in-law than with their mothers-in-law, who often questioned their capability as providers. Furthermore, their marital status has an impact on their social status. They seek friendships in transnational groups that include Icelanders as well. Further, they experience the feeling of physical ease in spaces that are not connected to masculinity, and where they are relieved from the social male gaze, and do not feel their difference as much. The research was conducted in Reykjavík and nearby towns in 2011 - 2012. It is based on ethnographic methods and in-depth interviews with fourteen interviewees, as well as participant observation. Undanfarin ár hefur það aukist nokkuð að Íslendingar stofni til sambands við fólk af öðru þjóðerni. Þetta er algengara á meðal íslenskra karla en á þó einnig við um konur. Í þessari rannsókn er upplifun erlendra karla sem eiga börn með íslenskum maka og ala upp börn sín í íslensku samfélagi í brennidepli. Sérstaklega er skoðað hvernig þeir takast á við föðurhlutverkið, samskipti þeirra við íslenskar fjölskyldur og hvernig þeir skapa sér rými innan samfélagsins. Rannsóknin sýnir fram á hvernig kyngervi karla tekur breytingum eftir aðstæðum. Þar hefur þverþjóðleg reynsla ...