Beyond integration versus homeland attachment: how migrant organizations affect processes of anchoring and embedding

Abstract

ABSTRACT The links between integration and transnationalism have attracted considerable attention in the study of migration. In contributing to these debates, this article examines the increasingly diverse landscape of self-organizations of people with migratory biographies, the so-called migrant organizations (MOs), to show how these provide opportunities for establishing and maintaining attachments in changing social and spatial contexts. Using in-depth interviews and qualitative network analysis to explore the connectivity of migrants with different actors and places, we show that the key contribution to developing experiences of belonging essentially lies in their role as places associated with home. They have a significant impact on processes of anchoring and embedding within prevailing politics of belonging. In addition to illustrating the interconnectedness between local and transnational involvement in adaptation processes, we emphasize the transformative role of MOs as unique spaces where people can develop coherent forms of belonging beyond essentialized notions of ethnicity, nationality, and “we” identities.