Transnational practices and local lives. Quran courses via Skype in Norwegian-Pakistani families

Abstract

With the emergence of an adult generation of descendants of migrants who are entering the labour market, marrying and having children, questions of transnationalism are made current in new ways. This article engages in the discussion of transnationalism and ‘the second generation’ by taking the everyday life of families as a starting point for discussing the role and meaning of what can be defined as transnational practices. The practice in question is the use of online Quran courses among families of Pakistani background in Norway. Employing Levitt and Glick Schiller’s distinction between ways of being and ways of belonging in transnational social fields, this article discusses how to understand this practice and its transnational dimensions.

KEYWORDS:

• transnationalism
• second generation
• Pakistanis
• Norway
• religion
• Skype

Acknowledgement

The author is grateful for valuable comments from Claire Alexander, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Tracy Reynolds, Jorun Solheim, Elisabetta Zontini, the three anonymous referees, as well as the from the research group Equality, Inclusion and Migration at the Institute for Social Research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. I define the second-generation as children of immigrants, either born in their parent’s destination country or arrived before adolescence (cf. Portes and Rumbaut 2001).

2. The growing literature on the transnational dimension of religion and religious communities will not be explicitly addressed (see, e.g. Jacobsen 2011; Levitt [2004, 2008] on this issue).

3. Poles (82,601) and Swedes (37,467) are the two largest groups.

4. In the period 2002–2007, 71% Norwegian born to Pakistani parents who had married transnationally, to 50% in the period 2008–2012 (Sandnes 2014).

5. Three hundred NOK (approximately 36, 5 Euro) a month per child for 30 minutes five days a week.

6. According to the participants in the study, lists of persons with Pakistani background in Norway have been circulating for years among Pakistani companies.

Additional information

Funding

This article is the result of a research project conducted at the Institute for Social Research, Oslo, and founded by the Norwegian Research Council.

Notes on contributors

Monica Five Aarset

MONICA FIVE AARSET is researcher/advisor at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the University of Oslo.