The sociological imagination holds that personal experiences link with the wider society. My focus will be on gender, class and ethnicity and how these three aspects of the CAGES model reflect my life both positively and negatively. Within the context of Auckland, I have continuously felt disengaged with this largely Eurocentric society of Auckland, being from a mixed ethnic background Iranian culture has a huge influence on my life. This links in with gender, and class and how these branches of the model link in with the society of Auckland in relation to myself.
The Iranian embassy (2010) estimate 8000 Iranians living in New Zealand, I am part of this statistic, and this number has most defiantly increased with the times. My father immigrated …show more content…
In Iran, women are restricting in every form. This however does not mean that New Zealand has over come the patriarchy. It is important to note that women are not a homogenous group. Therefore women of ethnic backgrounds, such as Maori and Pasifika women are less equal to that of their Pakeha counterparts. There are many Middle Eastern women, in my community, that still have to conform to their traditional beliefs. Therefore arranged marriages are still a norm. There is no law in New Zealand that prevents this. This shows that many people still hold tight to their cultural beliefs and traditions when they move to other country. This, I believe, will change with more integration of other cultures and also with the …show more content…
Part of this means that Auckland is still relatively small compared to the rest of the world and isolated from everywhere else. For myself, even though I have been brought up in Auckland, I have never felt that I have really belonged. Even though I have this connection with Auckland, I have no extended family here. The racial prejudice and stereotypes that I have faced as a child and even now have caused me to feel somewhat like an outsider. The food I eat, the music I listen to, the traditional Iranian celebrations that the Iranian community holds, mean that although I might be a ‘kiwi’ outside of my home and when I’m at university. When I am at home, I am Iranian. However, Auckland is increasingly becoming more multicultural. More and more Middle Eastern immigrants are coming into Auckland, and this means eventually more acceptance of every culture. New Zealand’s ‘clean, green’ image that this city portrays attracts many people, and Auckland is the hub of all this. This is rapidly changing though as this city develops and expands outwards and upwards. However, growing up in Auckland for me has meant that I have been able to play outside and be more in tune with nature, something that would have been difficult to do in many other countries. There are many advantages of growing up in a small country. Unlike other big cities, there is a sense of friendliness and trust that is not in big cities like Tehran. There are also
The Iranian embassy (2010) estimate 8000 Iranians living in New Zealand, I am part of this statistic, and this number has most defiantly increased with the times. My father immigrated …show more content…
In Iran, women are restricting in every form. This however does not mean that New Zealand has over come the patriarchy. It is important to note that women are not a homogenous group. Therefore women of ethnic backgrounds, such as Maori and Pasifika women are less equal to that of their Pakeha counterparts. There are many Middle Eastern women, in my community, that still have to conform to their traditional beliefs. Therefore arranged marriages are still a norm. There is no law in New Zealand that prevents this. This shows that many people still hold tight to their cultural beliefs and traditions when they move to other country. This, I believe, will change with more integration of other cultures and also with the …show more content…
Part of this means that Auckland is still relatively small compared to the rest of the world and isolated from everywhere else. For myself, even though I have been brought up in Auckland, I have never felt that I have really belonged. Even though I have this connection with Auckland, I have no extended family here. The racial prejudice and stereotypes that I have faced as a child and even now have caused me to feel somewhat like an outsider. The food I eat, the music I listen to, the traditional Iranian celebrations that the Iranian community holds, mean that although I might be a ‘kiwi’ outside of my home and when I’m at university. When I am at home, I am Iranian. However, Auckland is increasingly becoming more multicultural. More and more Middle Eastern immigrants are coming into Auckland, and this means eventually more acceptance of every culture. New Zealand’s ‘clean, green’ image that this city portrays attracts many people, and Auckland is the hub of all this. This is rapidly changing though as this city develops and expands outwards and upwards. However, growing up in Auckland for me has meant that I have been able to play outside and be more in tune with nature, something that would have been difficult to do in many other countries. There are many advantages of growing up in a small country. Unlike other big cities, there is a sense of friendliness and trust that is not in big cities like Tehran. There are also