Rethinking Migrant Masculinities: Pakistani Men in Barcelona
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14422/mig.22447.019Keywords:
Masculinity, Pakistanis, migration, BarcelonaAbstract
This article presents ongoing findings from a research project on the migration experiences of Pakistani men in Barcelona, focusing on the transformations and continuities in the construction of masculinities. Based on a qualitative approach, the study combines participant observation with 24 semi-structured interviews conducted between 2022 and 2024 with Pakistani men and women from the community. Preliminary results reveal, on the one hand, the persistence of the breadwinner mandate as a central axis of masculine identity; and on the other, the emergence of everyday practices that reflect more flexible and context-specific forms of masculinity. Furthermore, the migratory journey is often narrated as a personal sacrifice that reinforces symbolic validation of manhood. This article contributes to the fields of gender and migration studies by shedding light on the complex identity reconfiguration processes faced by male migrants in transnational contexts shaped by structural inequalities.
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