‘Half of Myself Belongs to this Town’: Conditional Belongings of Temporary Migrants in Regional Australia

Boese, Martina; Phillips, Melissa

doi:10.18357/mmd31201717073

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Section: Conceptual Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A case study conducted by Boese and Philips ( 2017 ) in rural Australia highlighted the positive role of social contacts with rural residents and the participation in cultural practices, while spaces for interaction and shared experiences were found to be an important prerequisite for establishing attachments to places of residence (cf. Wernesjö, 2015 ; Boese and Philips, 2017 , p. 63; Radford, 2017 ). Lacking spaces for interaction or not using available spaces—e.g., due to poor language proficiency, refugee parents' fear of discrimination or restrictive behavior toward their children, or negative attitudes from local residents—may undermine the individual's sense of attachment to place (cf.…”

Section: Conceptual Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Is Social Contact With the Resident Population a Prerequisite of Well-Being and Place Attachment? The Case of Refugees in Rural Regions of Germany

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Due to dispersal policies applied in many European countries, such as Germany, rural regions are important arrival regions for asylum seekers and refugees. For German policy makers, who have faced a large number of immigrants since 2015, it is crucial that asylum seekers and refugees stay in those rural regions and benefit the development of those areas. This paper addresses the quality and quantity of social contact between refugees and resident populations as a prerequisite for integration and long-term migration-development effects from a social geographical perspective. Drawing from survey data and qualitative interviews, we examine expectations, perceptions and experiences of everyday encounters and social relationships in neighborhoods in small rural towns and villages from the perspective of both local residents and refugees. Our results support arguments from research literature for faster social inclusion in rural areas due to greater nearness, but also obstacles toward the integration of foreigners due to a higher homogeneity of rural neighborhoods and only few experiences of positive everyday contact with foreigners among rural residents. The interviewed refugees display a high level of reflexivity regarding their new neighborhood and how they might be seen by rural residents. Their experiences encompass various forms of social relationships, while social bridges are crucial, ranging from serendipitous encounters and functional interactions to connections based on mutual interest around family issues or cultural aspects. Openness and tolerance from at least some parts of the local population can help immigrants to feel at home, and support staying aspirations, while simultaneously evoking wider social change. A peculiarity of rural areas is the intersectionality with further challenges related to structural changes, encompassing, for instance, socio-demographic and economic restructuring. However, social interactions and opportunities for encounters are only one factor in the development of long-term settlement. More in-depth research is needed to consider the interrelations of both structural contexts and complex and changing needs for personal development in the future, also from an intergenerational perspective.

show abstract

Section: Conceptual Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conceptual Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Social Contact With the Resident Population a Prerequisite of Well-Being and Place Attachment? The Case of Refugees in Rural Regions of Germany

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In a very practical sense, it is understood as a culmination of social bonds. Yet, these bonds are largely constrained and shaped by material and discursive practices that may segregate the temporary worker from the wider community (Boese and Phillips, 2017; Horgan and Liinamaa, 2016).…”

Section: Belonging Theoretical Underpinnings and Research Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These bonds may be catalyzed by key events that enable permanent and temporary residents to recognize common goals or struggles, and workers’ participation in cultural or faith-based networks (Mayes, 2017; Preibisch, 2010). In Boese and Phillips’ (2017) research with a variety of temporary visa holders in Australia, they distinguished between three types of influences on belonging: cultural (shared common practices or interests), social (interpersonal exchanges), and legal. While cultural and social influences could enable belonging by providing opportunities for shared experiences and relationship-building, legal influences largely undermined their efforts to belong.…”

Section: Belonging Theoretical Underpinnings and Research Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrant workers’ (non)belonging in rural British Columbia, Canada: storied experiences of Marginal Living

Díaz¹

2018

IJMHSC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of belonging and wellbeing among temporary migrant agricultural workers (TMAWs) in a rural setting in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. In total, 12 migrant workers participated in two to four one-on-one interviews and/or focus group conversations. Findings The analysis revealed an over-arching theme of Marginal Living encompassing stories of always on the outside, mechanisms of isolation and exclusion; struggling for the basics, realities of worrying about daily bare necessities; and “nothing but a worker’s,” experiences of being reduced only to one’s labor. These storied experiences each impacted workers’ wellbeing and typically limited their ability to feel a sense of belonging. Yet, workers exerted agency and resilience through storied experiences of “one family and for those who come next.” Their efforts contributed to building a sense of community through mutual support and advocacy. Originality/value Very few studies have focused on the day-to-day experiences of this population and its influence on their sense of belonging and wellbeing. This study is also the first to examine this topic within this particular region (the rural BC interior). These findings can provide a starting point for improved program planning to address challenges faced by TMAWs in rural Western Canada. Further, they expand the understanding of concepts such as partial citizenship and structural exclusion as they apply in the day-to-day realities of migrant workers in rural BC.

show abstract

“…Such research has been particularly concerned with how rural settings mediate the emergence of specific migration schemes, and with the experience of migrants and their families in specific places (e.g. Torres, Popke, and Hapke 2006;Butler 2016;Boese and Philips 2017;Boese, Moran, and Mallman 2018;Wilding and Nunn 2018). Further key areas of inquiry include the importance of the quality of social relationships in the retention of rural migrants (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Centring settler colonialism in rural Australian multicultures: race, place and local identities

Butler

Ben

2020

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the current age of rural mobilities and economic restructuring, the ethnic and racial compositions of rural towns across Anglosphere nations of the Global North have significantly transformed. As a result of these changes, the conditions which support rural multicultures are increasingly relevant to scholarship and policymaking. 'Everyday multiculturalism' and 'convivialities' have become key approaches within such research in rural environments. These perspectives offer important insights into understanding complex social relationships, reciprocities and circumstances of belonging in rural places. However, as UK-based critiques argue, a focus on 'everyday multiculturalism' and 'convivialities' may also risk obscuring how colonial legacies have shaped and informed racialised and classed hierarchies of belonging in distinct contexts. In this paper we turn these critiques to settler colonial Australia and its increasingly diverse rural towns. We bring together emerging literature in the study of rural migration with scholarship from Indigenous studies and anthropology on Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal rural social relations. Working at the intersection of these bodies of works, we argue that the histories and structures of settler colonialism be centred in research on rural multicultures, as these legacies and ongoing conditions shape social relationships in contemporary rural Australia.

show abstract

‘Half of Myself Belongs to this Town’: Conditional Belongings of Temporary Migrants in Regional Australia

Cited by 21 publications

References 32 publications

Is Social Contact With the Resident Population a Prerequisite of Well-Being and Place Attachment? The Case of Refugees in Rural Regions of Germany

Is Social Contact With the Resident Population a Prerequisite of Well-Being and Place Attachment? The Case of Refugees in Rural Regions of Germany

Migrant workers’ (non)belonging in rural British Columbia, Canada: storied experiences of Marginal Living

Centring settler colonialism in rural Australian multicultures: race, place and local identities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About