The role of natural environments in developing a sense of belonging: A comparative study of immigrants in the U.S., Poland, the Netherlands and Germany

Abstract

This paper examines the role of natural environments in the development of a sense of belonging among immigrants in host countries. The data were collected with the use of in-depth interviews with 70 Latino and Chinese immigrants in the U.S., Ukrainian and Vietnamese immigrants in Poland, Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands, and Turkish immigrants in Germany. The findings explore recreation in natural environments in relation to the three cornerstones of belonging: history, place, and people. They show how migrants develop connections to places through building a history or a “web of memories;” discuss how migrants use, perceive, and relate to the places they visit; and examine social relationships that take place in natural environments. The findings of the study are discussed using Scannell and Gifford’s (2010) three-dimensional model of place attachment.