Fatherhood in a Migratory Context: An Exploratory Study of Immigrant Fathers of African Origin in Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Immigration requires the redefinition of family roles, the reconstruction of the family system, and the establishment of a new paternal identity founded on maintaining a balance between the cultural system of the host society and that of the country of origin (Dyke and Soucier, 2000). Using an exploratory qualitative methodological approach, we interviewed ten fathers of African origin. A qualitative analysis using NVivo software made it possible to identify and analyse the following three broad themes: the particularities of the paternal role and commitments of fathers of African origin; the influence of immigration on the father’s role and commitments towards his child; the evolution of how roles within the couple are conceived in a migratory context; and the adaptation, and difficulties of adaptation, of fathers of African origin who immigrated to Abitibi-Témiscamingue.