Diasporic communities are groups of people who have migrated from one country to another and settled there permanently. They can retain their native language, culture, customs, and traditions while adapting to the new environment. Sexual norms and ethics vary between different cultures, so when members of diasporic communities move to a new place, they may need to adjust their behavior accordingly.
One way that diasporic communities reconstruct sexual norms is through intermarriage. When members of a community marry someone from outside their own group, they may adopt some of the partner's cultural practices and beliefs related to sex and intimacy.
Many Indian-American couples observe arranged marriages where the families choose a suitable spouse for the couple based on social status, education, religion, caste, and other factors. In contrast, Pakistani-Americans tend to arrange marriages themselves without involving the family.
Another way that diasporic communities reconstruct sexual norms is through the transmission of values and beliefs from generation to generation. Parents teach their children about appropriate behavior in the context of their community and its values. This includes how to interact with the opposite sex, what behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable, and what expectations should be held regarding marriage.
Sexual norms can also change within a diasporic community over time as younger generations incorporate influences from the surrounding society.
African Americans often hold more conservative views on premarital sex than whites, but this gap has narrowed since the 1980s. The number of black women who believe it is wrong to have sex before marriage decreased by 47% while white women saw an increase of only 3%.
Diasporic communities sometimes experience discrimination due to their religious or ethnic background, which affects how they express their sexuality. Arab Americans, for example, face stereotypes of being violent and sexually aggressive, leading them to feel pressure to prove their innocence. They may avoid public displays of affection or use humor to defuse tense situations.
Diasporic communities reconstruct sexual norms and ethical practices in new cultural contexts through intermarriage, parental guidance, and changes in attitudes over time. These factors influence how members of these communities navigate relationships, intimacy, and gender roles in their adopted homes.
How do diasporic communities reconstruct sexual norms and ethical practices in new cultural contexts?
Diasporic communities are groups of people who have migrated from their homeland and settled down in another country. The process of migration can bring about many changes including social, cultural, and economic changes. One such change is in the field of sexuality and relationships. Sexual norms and ethical practices differ from one culture to another and when individuals belonging to different cultures come together in a new cultural setting they may have differences in how they view and practice sexuality.