Stories of the Self: Religious and Cultural Struggles of a Muslim Child Welfare Researcher

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Keywords:

child protection services, colonization, Islam, Islamophobia, reflexivity

Abstract

The child welfare system, higher education, and being Muslim are three aspects of my identity that required close examination to understand my encounters during my PhD research. I withstood challenges based on religious and cultural differences in my fostering and frontline child protection work. Insight into these challenges emerged through my research, which examined experiences of Muslims clients receiving child welfare services in Ontario. The project provided an opportunity to reflect on frictions between my religious identification, my academic institution, and a child welfare organization. Grounding my framework in the sociocultural context for Muslims, I discuss aspects of my research that details interpersonal interactions with the child welfare system and academia. To synthesize three aspects of my social positioning—student, researcher, and child welfare worker—I outline the struggles of a Canadian Muslim identity. I use reflexivity to discuss narratives of my encounters in various phases of the research process.

Author Biography

Bibi S. Baksh, Wilfrid Laurier University

Bibi S. Baksh, PhD, MSW, RSW is Contract Academic Staff, Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University, Kitchener, ON, Canada (bbaksh@wlu.caemail@email.com).

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Published

2025-09-29

How to Cite

Baksh, B. S. (2025). Stories of the Self: Religious and Cultural Struggles of a Muslim Child Welfare Researcher. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 31(3), 86–102. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/2111

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