Drawing on empirical research with young refugees and asylum seekers (aged 11–18) now living in Sheffield, UK, and Aarhus, Denmark, respectively, this paper explores some of the relationships between identity, belonging, and place. We begin by reflecting on the young people's sense of identity as Somali in the context of periods of forced and voluntary mobility. We then consider what it means to be Muslim in the context of the different communities of practice in Aarhus and Sheffield. Finally, we consider the extent to which the interviewees self-identify as Danish or British. In reflecting on these different dimensions of identification and belonging, we conclude by highlighting the importance of being ‘in place’ for attachment and security, and identify implications of the findings for integration and cohesion policies.

This paper examines the role of local recruitment agencies in facilitating post-accession east

In this article we draw on research with young (aged 11 to 18 years old) Somali refugees and asylum seekers currently living in the UK, to explore their narratives of identity in the context of complex histories of mobility. We focus on how processes of disidentification or disavowal impact on young people's subjectivities and are lived out in particular spaces. Specifically, we examine the young people's experiences of having their claims to be British denied, of disidentifying as black, and as having to negotiate the complex ambiguities of being positioned as Somali in the UK but British in Somalia. In the conclusion we reflect on the importance of the young people's emotional investment in the subject position Muslim as an explanation for why they prioritize their faith above their racial, gender or ethno-national identities in their narratives of the self.

Summary This paper addresses concerns about the complexities of cross‐cultural field‐ work, and the importance of the positionality of researchers and translators in the research process. These concerns build upon debates within the social sciences about autobiography, reflexivity and the research process, as well as notions of validity, reliability and ‘truth’. The paper re‐examines these debates in the context of cross‐cultural research by focusing on praxis—actual experiences in the field.

The role of language in relation to identity formation has received relatively little attention from geographers. Here, drawing on empirical research with Somali young people (aged 11–18) now living in the UK, we explore the role that choice and use of language play in how young people make sense of their identities and affiliations within the specific situated context of everyday encounters at home, and school. In doing so, we explore the role of language as a situated practice in (re)making identities in local contexts, and the possibility that language can change the way that spaces are ordered.