Home and homemaking practices among skilled Indian migrants

Abstract

In this chapter I explore how skilled Indian migrants negotiate multiple senses of belonging through homemaking practices. I present examples from work among skilled migrants in The Netherlands. The push to attract and retain talent is driven by societal challenges, such as population decline, lack of skilled manpower and mismatch of skills in many countries of the Global North. Skilled migrants are highly mobile as they have transferable skillsets. Migrants move not only for better wages but often also for self-actualisation through new opportunities to further strengthen their cultural capital. Depending on class, education, employment, and gender migrants have differential access to housing opportunities. The obligation to create and maintain transnational homes for multiple families and meet their expectations was challenging for some skilled migrants. Intersectional advantages and disadvantages of accessing housing and homemaking shape their senses of belonging and imaginations of home.