Exploring The Immigration Experience And Learning Process: A Case Study Of Arab Women In Rural Nova Scotia

Abstract

In this vastly different part of the world from where they came from, Arab Muslim women have experienced a unique journey marked by challenges, achievements, and growth. Conducted in the heart of rural Nova Scotia, Canada, this research seeks to investigate unexplored areas, examining how migration and resettlement in a rural town impacted the learning processes of Arab immigrant women, particularly in terms of transformative learning. This is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with five Arab women who arrived in Canada with their families as privately sponsored refugees. The research first examines the impact of the migration journey on Arab women and the challenges they faced upon arriving in Canada such as feelings of isolation, absence of extended family, language barriers, and adjustment to an entirely new cultural identity as Arabs in a Western society. Additionally, the study reveals the strategies they used to overcome racial and religious discrimination. The research also explores whether their integration process included transformative learning. Finally, the study examines the significance of informal learning in the women’s lives and how it facilitated access to formal education credentials. The findings demonstrate that over the years, immigrant Arab women underwent numerous changes and adjustments in their skills and ways of thinking without feeling coerced. They were motivated by the recognition that these changes, although gradual and challenging, were essential for their personal and professional development and for the well-being of their families.