Abstract

This ethnographic study explores how Afghan migrants in Iran and France reshape family roles through transnational migration. It reveals migration as a dialectical process of "structural reflexivity," where traditional hierarchies transform as children, through language and cultural mastery, become intermediaries, decision-makers, and emotional and financial supporters—shifting family dynamics from patriarchal to horizontal, multi-centered networks. Digital technologies act as "dual structures," sustaining emotional ties while enabling remote control. Remittances function as symbolic capital, redefining power and status within families. Kinship evolves from blood-based to functional and elective bonds, including compatriots and migrant peers. For women and youth, migration becomes a means of resisting tradition and reshaping identity. Drawing on Giddens’ structuration theory, transnationalism, and emotional economy, the study frames the migrant family as a "field of symbolic struggle," calling for integration policies that recognize internal family dynamics.