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Return visits and belonging to countries of origin among young people from refugee backgrounds
Author(s) -
McMICHAEL CELIA,
NUNN CAITLIN,
GIFFORD SANDRA,
CORREAVELEZ IGNACIO
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
global networks
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.685
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1471-0374
pISSN - 1470-2266
DOI - 10.1111/glob.12147
Subject(s) - homecoming , homeland , refugee , ambivalence , negotiation , gender studies , narrative , country of origin , sociology , geography , psychology , political science , social psychology , history , politics , social science , art , archaeology , law , art history , literature
In this article, we explore the return visits of resettled young people from refugee backgrounds to their personal and/or ancestral countries of origin. We draw on qualitative data from a longitudinal study of people who fled their country of origin at an early age, many of whom were born or lived for protracted periods in countries of asylum, and resettled in Australia. We demonstrate that return visits are not simply a homecoming; the young people's narratives reflect ambivalent relationships to the homeland experienced across multiple domains of belonging. Accounts of return visits refer to three core domains of belonging – practical national belonging, family connection, and attachment to material places. We argue that a return visit gives these youths a valued opportunity to negotiate and develop their homeland connections, though not necessarily an unambiguous opportunity to belong.