Belonging among diasporic African communities in the UK: Plurilocal homes and simultaneity of place attachments

Abstract

Article:Waite, LJ and Cook, J (2011) Belonging among diasporic African communities in the UK: Plurilocal homes and simultaneity of place attachments. Emotion, Space and Society, 4 (4). 238 -248 (11 ReuseUnless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version -refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher's website. TakedownIf you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing eprints@whiterose.ac.uk including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. 1 Belonging among diasporic African communities in the UK:Plurilocal homes and simultaneity of place attachments. AbstractThis paper compares the emotional attachments to place(s) of first and second generation African migrants in the UK. Qualitative studies from the field of migration studies have tended to examine generational cohorts in isolation from one another rather than alongside each other. This paper responds to this research gap by asserting the importance of an intergenerational lens in exploring generational differences and similarities in the shaping of post-migration lives. The practices and expressions of belonging in, and to, places of current -culturally diverse contexts. Yet it is well established that members of diasporic communities often have complex relationships to Scholars often assume that a transnational optic is appropriate for the study of first generation migrants who frequently retain multifarious socio-cultural, economic and political links to their countries of origin, but less suitable for second generation individuals who are assumed to experience stronger emotional attachments and territorialised articulations of belonging to local place-based contexts. This paper troubles such an assumption. Through exploring the emotional attachments to place(s) of first and second generation Zimbabwean, Somali, Sudanese and Kenyan migrants, the paper interprets the emotions associated with senses of belonging through ideas of plurilocal homes and simultaneity of attachments to different places.

Intergenerational Relationships in Migrant Families. Theoretical and Methodological Issues

“…The past decade has witnessed a growth in interest on migrant families in both research and policy arenas. While generational transitions can prove problematic postmigration, as parents and children adapt to the new country at differing rates, research and policy has been overly concentrated on the divides this creates and has, consequently, problematized migrants families as traditional and resistant to integration (Waite and Cook 2011;Foner and Dreby 2011;Kofman 2004). The findings discussed in this chapter are rooted in more nuanced and complex understanding of migrant families.…”

(Be)Longings: Diasporic Pacific Islanders and the meaning of home

“…Emplaced identity (that is, identity positioned within a particular location)-and its related sense of belonging-provides its bearer with an idea of 'home'. However, for many migrants and/or descendants of migrants, 'home' can be a multivalent concept, fluctuating throughout time and adhering in various degrees to one or more sites and localities (Kleist 2013;Kuah and Davidson 2008;Radhakrishnan 2008;Sawyer 2002;Spickard, Rondilla and Hippolite Wright 2002;Waite and Cook 2011). That is, 'home' can be a combination of belonging to the diaspora and to the homeland.…”

Mobility and security: the perceived benefits of citizenship for resettled young people from refugee backgrounds

“…Haggis and Schech 2010;Yuval-Davis 2007;Leitner and Ehrkamp 2006), this does not, however, signify the demise of the nation state. While the relevance of formal state citizenship to everyday belonging and participation has been questioned (Waite and Cooke 2011;Gow 2005), the nation state remains the foundational source of legal rights and obligations for individuals, while the nation state system continues to play a significant role in enabling and constraining other forms of political community.…”