Socialization and gendered biographical agency in a multicultural migration context: the life history of a young Moroccan woman in Germany

Abstract

"In light of the challenges of globalization, hybridization of cultures, and transnational migration movements worldwide, some central deficits of socialization theory have been identified. As a response to these challenges, the necessity of developing 'biographical socialization research' and a 'subject-oriented socialization theory' are underlined. In this paper, the notion of 'biographical agency', embedded in the social and temporal context of biographies, is proposed to overcome shortcomings of the theories of socialization. Drawing on the concepts of biographical knowledge, biographical work and biographical reflexivity, biographical research can show how individuals develop biographical agency and engage in meaningful social actions within their life courses under the conditions of globalization. On the basis of Samira's case, I will point out the kinds of multiple exclusion/ inclusion mechanisms that operate in multicultural societies, mechanisms produced both by majority and minority groups, and how daughters of migrants can acquire biographical resources through their socialization in multicultural contexts to struggle against hierarchical gender norms, conflicting expectations, and restrictive social sites as well as enlarge their sphere of action." (author's abstract)