Migration is not a new phenomenon in Iran. However, during recent years and due to several
reasons including financial hardships and social suppression, the number of Iranian families
who migrate to other countries has been increasing steadily. Norway is one of the popular
destinations among Iranians. No matter the reason or procedure of migration, immigrants face
multiple difficult circumstances such as economic or social challenges.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the lived experiences of Iranian migrants, both
children and their parents. It aims to learn about how they perceive some aspects of social life
and integration process. In additions, this study strives to provide an image of how their
knowledge of coming from a quite different cultural and value system, is implemented in the
context of a new society and shapes their current social experiences of living in Norway.
The research was conducted in Trondheim, Norway and the participants were 9 Iranian families
who migrated to Norway over the course of the last twenty years. The sample consisted of 27
participants, including 10 children (3 males and 7 females) and 17 parents (8 males and 9
females). Given the fact that this is a qualitative study, participatory methods such as individual
interviews, focus group discussions and essay writing were methods of data collection used in
order to give participants the opportunity to voice and share their own perspectives about the
research questions.
The theoretical foundations of the study revolve around social studies of children and childhood,
family sociology and generational order, integration theory and the concept of agency. These
theories served the research as lenses through which to interpret the fieldwork data.
The findings of this research present diverse daily challenges that child and adult participants
deal with. The challenges range from language acquisition to hardships of socially mingling with
the locals in the host society. The severity and deep effects of challenges on Iranian immigrants
on both individual and family levels, are the main findings of the study. Additionally, research
findings elaborate on the strategies used by participants to overcome the challenges of
migration such as learning social and cultural codes.
The study suggests that since social and cultural integration of the immigrants is a two-way
street imposing responsibility on both immigrants and the host society, awareness of the
advantages of a diverse community should increase by more extensive governmental and
media efforts. For this reason, I desire my research to help upgrade the status of social life and
integration of immigrant families in Norway, as well as to contribute to the growing body of the
social studies of children and childhood.