Discourses and images of belonging: migrants between new racism, liberal nationalism and globalization (original) (raw)
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A Conceptual Shift in Studies of Belonging and the Politics of Belonging
The study of belonging, its underlying notions, and the politics of belonging shows that social, political, and territorial demarcations are still based on essentialist conceptions of the collective. These are often applied and reproduced in the social sciences as a result of methodological nationalism. Space-sensitive studies of migration and globalization and a return to the material have recently challenged social constructivist lines of argumentation and have provoked a con-ceptual shift from analytical categories with inherent spatiality, territoriality, and boundary marking to concepts based on movement and flow. In this paper the analysis of belonging and the related politics of belonging in migration studies incorporates space as an analytical category that cross-cuts established categorizations such as race, class, gender, and stage in the life cycle, and integrates a material semiotic perspective more systematically into the study of social rela-tions at the intersection of the social categories mentioned. A new concept of belonging is defined which reflects the complex relations that individuals have with other people, circulating objects, artefacts, and changing social, political, and cultural landscapes, thus mirroring both the material conditions and the underlying power relations. Such an un-derstanding of belonging proceeds from social naturalizations and fixations to the multiplicity and situatedness of indi-vidual attachments, which entangle social, imagined, and sensual-material relations that are constantly re-articulated and re-negotiated by actors in their day-to-day practices. In such a reading, belonging comes into being as a result of individual life stories, versatile contexts, and situated experiences and acts. In times of constant exchange through trav-el, mass media, and communication technologies, the conceptualization of belonging questions established sociocul-tural and political demarcations, indicates the compatibility of ascribed socio-cultural difference and stresses the per-meability of borderlines. A space-sensitive theorization of social relations and belonging opens up new perspectives on the question of how social collectives are naturalized and by whom, and under which conditions they open up to new forms of belonging; it thus brings forth new findings about collectivization, social mobilization, and change
Identity and Migration: An introduction
Identity and Migration, Springer, 2015
Identity has increasingly become an important keyword in contemporary human and social sciences to the point that it is nearly impossible to provide an exhaustive synopsis of the different contributions in this field. However, little attention has been devoted to the influence of migration on identity formation and transformation. This chapter introduces the present edited volume that brings together scholars from different disciplines to engage in a conversation about the issue of identity formation and transformation in contemporary multiethnic Europe. Since identity is a broad concept that has been defined differently by various disciplines, a multidisciplinary approach is a highly complex task that continuously risks to results in misunderstandings. Notwithstanding, because a single-sided perspective on identity is not able to address the multifaceted phenomena at stake, a multidisciplinary approach is an appealing challenge that this volume undertakes. This chapter provides a thematic overview of the main issues addressed in the volume: the theoretical questions related to identity in plural and multicultural societies, the effect of migration policies in marginalizing migrants, the relevance of law and rights in the processes of identity construction, the strategies of identity (re)construction through (dis)identification, the relationship of identity with center/periphery dynamics in postcolonial and globalized societies, the salience of membership and belonging, and the (re)articulation of identity through oppositional representations.
The Concept of Belonging: Critical, Normative and Multicultural
Ethnicities , 2019
Contemporary diversity politics is mobilized around debates on the effects of diversity on political community and cohesion. However, social and political theory are deeply divided on the relation between that diversity, liberal-democratic citizenship, multiculturalism and social cohesion. This article argues that a focus on the concept of belonging, which is often employed but rarely examined in detail, illustrates the critical-normative divide between social and political theory. Further, it argues that each has a partial account of belonging that fails to account for the multidimensional and complex nature of diverse belonging today. Instead, it sketches a theory of "multicultural-belonging", which unites the critical and normative approaches and offers key insights going forward in the analysis of diversity, citizenship and multiculturalism.
Identity and Belonging: conceptualisations and political framings
2013
In this paper, I engage critically with the notions of belonging and identity, both as conceptual tools and how they are embedded in political discourses, particularly those concerning integration and diversity in the current period, with a focus on Britain. Belonging and identity both raise questions about boundaries of 'difference', inclusion and exclusion. I subsequently turn to the issue of integration and diversity and the dependency of the discourses on notions of identity and belonging that are infused with assumptions about essentialisation, culturalisation and hierarchisation. I will then argue for a different approach to the issues of belonging and incorporation, and towards a recognition of the importance of location and intersectional forms of dialogue and positionality which rely much more on notions of solidarity building. An intersectional and cosmopolitan imaginary is able to recognise diversities on the basis of shifting combinatories of location and positionality within a time and space framework. This involves the recognition of the global and intersectional nature of social bonds and interests and the need to move away from ethnocentric and national based lens for achieving inclusion and social justice.
Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 2020
Building on the reflexive turn in migration studies, the editorial proposes a conceptual heuristic for studying current conflicts over migration in Europe and beyond. The article integrates a non-essentialist understanding of migration, theories of belonging, membership and boundary-making and perspectives from cross-border studies. It calls to approach multiple social and political conflicts around migration as embedded in struggles over the migration-reladted classifications and powerful discourses of othering. Finally, it provides an overview of the contents of the special issue.