Positive Anomie: Paradigm Shifts and Unintended Benefits Caused by Normlessness, a Case of Syrian Refugees in Canada

Abstract

The present paper expands on Emile Durkheim’s original theory of anomie. Durkheim’s anomie is incomplete in its analysis, as it narrowly focuses on the negative outcomes of social breakdown and does not present the entire spectrum of possible favourable results for individuals faced with social upheaval. In contrast, positive anomie presents the hypothesis that de-regulation or a breakdown of social norms has the potential to create a new, more positive worldview. To interpret positive anomie, this study uses research on Syrians women with a refugee background to show how social norms in Canada contradict with and disrupt previously held norms and values of Syria. It specifically delineates financial norms, norms of movement, and relationship norms to demonstrate how Syrian women experience an internal revolution and paradigm shift regarding gender and expectations. After Syrian women arrive in Canada and begin experiencing Canadian culture and society, they discover that compared with their lives in Syria they have greater financial power and independence, limited restrictions in physical movement, and more freedom in their intimate relationships. The loss of previously held restrictive norms shifts into a reconstructed paradigm of greater rights, freedoms, equality, and hope for their future.