Analyzing The Sense Of Belonging From A Bourdieusian Perspective: Women From Türkiye In North London

Abstract

Analyzing the sense of belonging from a Bourdieusian perspective: Turkish women in North London Abstract The Cambridge Dictionary defines belonging as the feeling of safety and comfort in a given place. For migrants, defining belonging is complicated as it also means establishing good relations with other members of society. A sense of belonging encompasses being included in the family, the country in which one lives, and the group to which one belongs. This study sought to answer the question “How is the sense of belonging established in a diaspora?” It also poses the question “Does the sense of belonging differ between generations in a diaspora? This study was conducted in North London between 2017–2019. In-depth interviews were conducted with 8 first-generation women, 10 second-generation women and 7-third generation young women. Interviews were conducted at the North London Alevi Association. Although the first step of this study was to identify a sense of belonging and how it is established, also generational differences regarding belonging were examined. The analysis was conducted within the framework of Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and capital. Generally, it is observed that first-generation womens’ sense of belonging is still concentrated in the home country they left, whereas for the younger generation it is related to the country in which they were born or went there when they were children.