Belonging across borders, a study of the inter-destination transnational practice of second generation Egyptian Europeans

Youssef, Dina

4. term

Global Refugee Studies, Master

2016

2016-08-01

66 pages

Migration has commonly been theorized as a process that ends with settlement, however, studies show that immigrants often maintain attachments to their homeland. In that context, this thesis explores how identity and belonging develops in descendants of Egyptian immigrants in Europe. Through fieldwork, participant observation and interviews conducted in Denmark and Egypt, this thesis focuses on development and negotiation of identity and belonging, when a group of second generation Egyptian Europeans creates and participates in the social and cultural activities of an inter-destination transnational (IDT) community. Through analysis of the groups’ senses of belonging and their transnational relations and practices, it is discussed how they are able to be a part of the Denmark, and at the same time maintain the attachment to the homeland of their parents. Through a transnational-perspective the relation to ‘country of parent’s origin and relations across borders will be discussed further. The attributes contributing to MYEPEs community creation will be analysed using the theoretical framework for sense of community. I come to argue that the MYEPE community functions as an anchor point in the multi-stranded sense of belonging of SGEEs by providing them with an in-group to which they can feel complete belonging. The study shows that this is something they crave and discusses its implications on their belonging and identity formation. Notably, the community constitute an IDT social field, which makes it possible for them to exchange social and cultural capital between different national fields.

inter-destination transnationalism ; second-generation ; community ; Arabizi ; belonging ; Egyptian European

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