Raising Children in Exile: Experiences of Highly Educated Eritrean Migrants in the UK

ABSTRACT

Child-rearing practices can be challenging for migrants who often require socio-cultural and emotional adjustments. This article discusses parenting in exile with a focus on the experiences of highly educated Eritrean migrants in the UK. Qualitative data are collected from eighteen highly educated Eritrean migrants selected through purposive and snowball sampling from the UK. The findings indicate that highly educated Eritrea migrants aspire to avoid harmful traditional ways of treating children and all the repercussions associated with them. Moreover, with the help of their educational qualifications, my participants support their children in social and academic activities and guide them to cultivate bi-cultural coping skills. However, the migrant parents face challenges related to lack of parenting experiences and familiar support systems. The article contributes to the advancement of migration knowledge by adding new perspectives to the nexus of migration and child-raising.

KEYWORDS:

• Parenting
• refugee
• immigrant children
• higher education
• Eritrea

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my particpants. I am also grateful to Prof. Debbie Epstein and Prof. Marie-Pierre Moreau for their support.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Roehampton University-Santander Scholarship; and Roehampton University-Sacred Heart (RUSH) Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Samson Maekele Tsegay

Dr Samson Maekele Tsegay is a Research Facilitator at Anglia Ruskin University, UK. He obtained MA and PhD degree in Educational Leadership and Policy (Comparative Education) at Beijing Normal University, China. He also acquired another PhD in Education and Social Justice at the University of Roehampton, UK. He was a recipient of the distinguished Chinese Government Scholarship and the Roehampton University-Sacred Heart (RUSH) Scholarship. Dr Tsegay worked for about ten years as a graduate assistant and academic coordinator in the higher education sector in Eritrea. Furthermore, he was a visiting lecturer at Beijing Normal University and the University of Roehampton. He is the author of many book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed journals. His research interests focus on globalization, migration and (higher) education.