Children’s Wellbeing in Immigrant Families

This book studies children’s wellbeing from the perspective of Ethiopian immigrant families in Israel. It examines how the meeting of cultures within families affects relationships, language acquisition and the transmission of cultural heritage across generations after immigration. The younger generation, born in Israel or having arrived as infants, are faced with a reality very different from their parent’s childhood in Ethiopia. The book therefore addresses these key questions: What are the differences between families that enable some children to adopt a hybrid identity while others feel detached? How are the children affected by their experiences in Israeli society and specifically the educational system? What factors in their childhoods foster resilience and how do these children relate to their Ethiopian heritage? The book presents unique insights into the realities experienced by immigrant families using their own narratives, as it is based on interviews by the author with 50 members of immigrant families from different generations. It is of special interest to academic courses on wellbeing, family studies, immigrants, diaspora studies, ethnic and religious studies, anthropology, folklore, sociology, gender studies, social work, child psychology and more.