Navigating Dual Realities

Negotiating Identities of Migration, Gender, and Belonging among Nigerian Women in Cincinnati, United States of America

Abstract

The United States is a nation of immigrants, yet the narratives of immigrants have been selectively told due to a lopsided focus. This paper examines the lived experiences of Nigerian immigrant mothers in Cincinnati, Ohio. It sheds light on how migration reshapes identity, gender roles, and notions of belonging at the intersection of race, class, and motherhood. Drawing on feminist migration theory, intersectionality, and feminist poststructuralism, this study investigates how these women negotiate dual realities, navigating systemic exclusion in the U.S. while maintaining cultural identities rooted in Nigerian norms. Through semi-structured interviews with eight first-generation Nigerian immigrant mothers, the research uncovers recurring themes of emotional labour, shifting gender dynamics, and racialised silencing. Participants confront marginalisation within U.S. institutions, often facing devaluation due to their accents, skin colour, or foreignness. Yet, they respond with strategic adaptations, forming support networks through churches, social groups, and sisterhood alliances. This study challenges dominant migration narratives by centring the voices of African women, often rendered invisible in both scholarly and policy discourse. It argues that Nigerian immigrant mothers are not passive recipients of migration’s pressures, but active agents engaged in ongoing processes of identity reconfiguration and cultural negotiation. By amplifying these underrepresented perspectives, this paper contributes to decolonial feminist scholarship and urges a reconceptualisation of migration that honours the complexity, resilience, and agency of Black immigrant women.

Keywords: Nigeria, immigrant mothers, gendered migration, identity negotiation, intersectionality, racialization, feminist migration theory