Women, Portuguese culture and Diaspora : Women from Goa in New Zealand and cultural adaptation
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Data
2007
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Edições Universitárias Lusófonas
Resumo
New Zealand is a nation of Migrants. Immigrants have played a significant role in the country’s economic growth and cultural development. With a population of four million people, New Zealand’s population is becoming increasingly culturally diverse. Almost one in five New Zealanders were born overseas, rising to one in three in its largest city,
Auckland. Asians are the fastest growing ethnic group, increasing by around 140% since
1996. Indians account for 1.2% of the population (Statistics New Zealand, 2002). The
Goan community in New Zealand is relatively small and its size is not formally recorded,
however, anecdotally it appears to have grown to over 200 families in the Auckland area,
with most arriving after 1996.
For women who migrate, loneliness and isolation have been identified as the most ‘glaring’ experience and this is intensified by the loss of extended family networks when
they migrate to a country where nuclear families are the norm (Leckie, 1995). The creation of new networks and maintenance of prior networks in new ways is crucial to the successful
settlement and integration into a new country.
This paper reports on how Goan, Indian women in Auckland, New Zealand used specific strategies to manage the adjustment to living in a new country. The findings reveal that
participants used a variety of skills to settle in New Zealand such as cultivating a “can do” attitude, obtaining support and learning. These skills enabled them to move beyond their
own culture and begin to take active part in New Zealand culture. However, this process was not immediate and the participants passed through a number of stages along a continuum of settlement and integration. These stages will be discussed below and situated within a
body of literature.
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Campus Social : Revista Lusófona de Ciências Sociais
Palavras-chave
SOCIOLOGIA, ESTUDOS DO GÉNERO, MULHERES, EMIGRAÇÃO, SOCIOLOGY, GENDER STUDIES, WOMEN, EMIGRATION