Privileged migrants and their sense of belonging: Insider or outsider?

Abstract

Abstract Asia is gaining prominence as a destination for millions of migrants, totaling to about one-third of total international migrants. The privileged migrants (highly skilled and affluent) make up a large part of this group. They remain a fertile ground for scholarly examination owing to the fact that extremely scarce research attention has been paid to this group. Within this context, this paper focuses on the sense of belonging of this migrant group in the host countries. We argue that professional hierarchy; socioeconomic and sociocultural factors contribute to the privileged migrants’ positionality as an insider or outsider in the host country. In this research, four Southeast Asian countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Thailand) are selected. Via multiplex communication (WhatsApp, email, and phone calls), a total of 27 interviews were conducted. Findings suggest that most of the privileged migrants position themselves as an outsider for multifaceted factors.