‘Medɔ wo’ Understanding the transformation of the transnational field, habitus, and capital of members of the Ghanaian diaspora living in the Netherlands through the encounter of conservative and liberal attitudes towards homosexuality
Summary
Ghanaian immigrants in the Netherlands come from a considerably more conservative
background with regards to sexual freedom and expressions thereof than the majority of the
Dutch population. Through migration, differing cultural attitudes, values, and norms encounter.
Previous studies have found that immigrants acculturate in the dimension of moral attitudes
over time. This research assesses how this process of attitude change unfolds by collecting data
on specific experiences and interactions of transnational Ghanaian immigrants in the
Netherlands. Analytically, this research builds on the conceptual toolkit of Pierre Bourdieu,
consisting of field, habitus, and capital. Through the methodological innovation of a multileveled analysis, looking at the inter-field, intra-field, and individual level, this research finds
that members of the Ghanaian diaspora actively shape their transnational field, habitus, and
capital through interactions with institutions, associations, co-workers, and friends, and family,
while simultaneously maintaining transnational ties with Ghana. In addition, this research finds
that the attitudes of members of the Ghanaian diaspora in the Netherlands towards
homosexuality have become more positive through the process of migration, which is in line
with previous work on the subject.