Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The first wave of Coptic immigrants to Canada started nearly fifty years ago. Copts came from their motherland Egypt, searching for religious freedom and economical prosperity. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) became one of the largest centers in Canada where Copts settled with their families and built their churches. As years passed, the second generation of Copts was starting to marry, not only Coptic spouses, but in many cases, Canadian spouses of varying ethnic backgrounds. This new phenomenon of intermarrying with different cultures was not fully understood, nor at times welcomed, by the Coptic Community. Many Copts wondered about the implications of intercultural marriages (ICMs) on the future of the Copts and the Coptic Church in the GTA. A phenomenological analysis of the lived experience of couples in intercultural marriages was conducted to search for a clearer understanding of these relationships as they currently exist in the GTA. Four focus groups, with three couples in each group, were organized to determine the most important subjects to be discussed in the later stage of interviews. Eighteen one-on-one interviews were then planned with the couples to talk about the themes that emerged from the focus group discussions. This study identified many different themes which could be of great help to future couples pursuing intercultural marriages, to their families, to the Coptic Church and Community in the GTA, and to other ethnic Communities facing the same challenges. First, it was clear that the couples interviewed were in very functional and healthy marriages. Second, the Christian faith continues to be a major factor in their lives, as the Coptic spouses all married fellow Christians, even though some did not marry in the Coptic Church. Third, the Coptic Church still plays a significant role in the lives of most of the couples interviewed. Fourth, the couples requested that the Coptic Church, Community, and their families continue to dialogue with them, respect their choices, and embrace them as an integral part of the future makeup of the Church fabric. Finally, the Coptic Community in the GTA should take practical steps to adapt to the Canadian culture through its observance of couples in intercultural marriages.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Pishoy Salama
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2586764209