Abstract
The need to belong is fundamental to human beings and constitutes a basis for subjective well-being. Belonging is a multifaceted concept that can refer to different entities and points of reference. Related concepts are identification and identity, connectedness and embeddedness, attachment, fitting in, and feeling “at home.” The present contribution will focus on the sense of belonging in the context of migration in its different facets – cultural, social, and spatial – and in relation to different points of reference, namely national, ethnic, and transnational belonging. Applying the lens of cultural psychology of semiotic mediation, the development of a sense of belonging will be discussed with regard to first-generation migrants and their second-generation offspring in a life-span perspective, drawing on concepts such as proculturation as well as the trajectory equifinality approach. By focussing on a single case of a mother and her adult daughter from a Portuguese migrant family living in Luxembourg, we will illustrate how both theoretical concepts can be applied to analyse narratives with regard to experiences of first and second generation in the context of migration. Bifurcation points will be identified and their importance for life trajectories and the development of a sense of belonging will be discussed.
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Notes
- 1.
IRMA – “Intergenerational Relations in the light of Migration and Ageing,” FNR 2013–2017: C12/SC/4009630/IRMA/Albert – PI: Dr. Isabelle Albert; Project Collaborator: Dr. Stephanie Barros; Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dieter Ferring; Mentor: Prof. Dr. Jaan Valsiner. We are grateful for the invaluable support of our supervisor and our mentor in this project. We further thank very dearly our participants for having shared their experiences with us as well as our student assistants who supported us in data collection.
- 2.
For purposes of confidentiality, aliases were used for both, mother and daughter.
- 3.
Saudade is a complex emotion that characterizes Lusitanian cultures, and it is related to aspects of solitude and ambivalence: it is a feeling of loss of a person, place, or situation while at the same time feeling joy for having had the opportunity of experiencing positive feelings in their regard, even if lost now. It is sometimes described as nostalgia or longing for something or someone, which however does not fully grasp its multifaceted character (for a detailed description, see Barros & Marinho Ribeiro, 2018).
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Albert, I., Barros, S. (2021). The Sense of Belonging in the Context of Migration: Meanings and Developmental Trajectories. In: Wagoner, B., Christensen, B.A., Demuth, C. (eds) Culture as Process. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77892-7_19
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