First-generation Migrants Research Articles

Unravelling COVID-19 social mortality patterns using conditional inference tree algorithm

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant excess mortality in 2020 in Belgium. By using microlevel cause-specific mortality data for the total Belgian adult population in 2020, three outcomes were considered in this study aiming at predicting sociodemographic (SD) and socioeconomic (SE) patterns of 1) COVID-19 specific death compared to survival; 2) all other causes of death (OCOD) compared to survival; 3) COVID-19 specific deaths compared to all OCOD. Methods Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted for the three outcomes. In addition, we computed conditional inference tree (CIT) algorithms, complementing regression models, to identify and rank the strongest SD and SE predictors of the three outcomes. Results Older people, males, people living in collectivities, first-generation migrants, and deprived SE groups experienced higher odds of dying from COVID-19 compared to survival; living in collectivities was identified by the CIT as the strongest predictor followed by age and sex. Education emerged as one of the strongest predictors for people not living in collectivities. Overall, similar patterns were observed for all OCOD except for first- and second-generation migrants having lower odds of all OCOD compared to survival; age group was identified by the CIT as the strongest predictor. Older people, males, people living in collectivities, first- and second-generation migrants, and people with lower levels of education had higher odds of COVID-19 death compared to all OCOD; living in collectivities was identified by the CIT as the strongest predictor followed by age, sex, and migration status. Education and income emerged as the strongest predictors among people not living in collectivities. Conclusions This study identified important SD and SE disparities in COVID-19 mortality underlying the importance of implementing preventive measures, particularly within the most vulnerable populations, in infectious disease pandemic preparedness. Key messages • Living in collectivities appeared to be the strongest predictor of COVID-19 death across all age groups, highlighting the importance of preventive measures in reducing the transmission of the virus. • Poor education plays a crucial role in predicting COVID-19 death among people not living in collectivities, highlighting the importance of targeting preventive measures towards low educated groups.

‘What would they think of us?’ The impact of the China threat narrative in Australian media on PRC migrants and social cohesion

This paper engages closely with the perspectives of a particular cohort of Chinese-Australians: first-generation Mandarin-speaking migrants in Australia from the PRC. It aims to examine their responses and reactions to mainstream English-language news stories about their community and about the PRC. Drawing on data from a large quantitative survey, 20 in-depth interviews, and three group discussions, the paper explores three dimensions: how members of this cohort see themselves portrayed in the media; how they see the PRC being portrayed in the media; and what impact they believe such portrayals have on the Australian general public. The discussion aims to update the prevailing analytical framework of hostile media perception, as well as to shed light on the challenges facing the social cohesion agenda in multicultural societies that are a consequence of rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics.

First-generation Korean food entrepreneurship: strategies of living with (ethnic) difference in the city

ABSTRACT Based on semi-structured interviews and ethnographic market analysis online and on-site, this study explores strategies of ethnic food entrepreneurship by first-generation Korean migrants in London. The focus is on how urban difference is translated through entrepreneurship into concrete everyday interactions across urban divides, as migrant entrepreneurs engage with urban economies, societies and regulatory frameworks through their enterprises. This empirical focus is driven by an interest in the application of the notion of conviviality as a lens to understand urban interactions of living with difference. We thus deliberately depart from assimilationist and groupist precepts as imposed by the “migrant integration” agenda or multiculturalist approaches ignoring persistent hierarchies of difference. Our contribution is in providing empirical insight into living with difference in the city through the exploration of how difference is translated through the entrepreneurship of a conspicuous and often racialised group of migrant entrepreneurs.

Migration scale, process, and impact in the Tiwanaku colonies: Paleomobility at the archaeological site of Omo M10.

Contemporary migrations show form and intensity of interaction between homeland and host communities to shape social dynamics and identities. We apply here a contemporary theoretical framework and biogeochemical analyses to elucidate the scale, processes, and impacts of migration in the Tiwanaku polity (6th-11th c. CE) by inferring the mobility of individuals interred at the Tiwanaku-affiliated site of Omo M10 (Moquegua Valley, Peru). For each of 124 individuals, we captured paleomobility across the life-course by analyzing up to four enamel and bone samples that formed during discrete developmental periods for radiogenic strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and stable oxygen (δ18Ocarbonate(VPDB)) isotopes. At Omo M10, archaeological human enamel and bone values range from 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70632-0.72183 and δ18Ocarbonate(VPDB) = -13.4‰ to +1.7‰, with a mean of 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70763 ± 0.00164 (1σ, n = 334) and δ18O = -7.8‰ ± 1.9‰ (1σ, n = 334). Together with archaeological evidence, we interpret these data as evidence for multigenerational interaction between communities in the high-altitude Tiwanaku heartland and at the site of Omo M10. Our results suggest that one-fourth of individuals spent some part of their life outside of Moquegua and one in eight individuals from Omo M10 were first-generation migrants. Greater mobility of females and juveniles at Omo M10 indicates that gender and family were important social constructs in maintaining relationships and cultural continuity in provincial Tiwanaku life, and communities maintained autochthonous migration streams with Tiwanaku-affiliated populations throughout the south-central Andes. Intra-individual biogeochemical analyses of migration at Omo M10 contribute a nuanced perspective on the diverse experiences of multigenerational Tiwanaku colonies.

Exploring the Health Impact of Intersectional Minority Identity Stressors on Arab Sexual Minority Women Migrants to the United States.

Using an intersectionality lens and the minority stress theory as our theoretical grounding, this qualitative study is the first to examine the mental health of Arab sexual minority women (SMW) migrants to the United States. The study aimed to (1) explore the perceptions and experiences of intersectional minority identity-related life stressors and (2) discern their impact on the mental health of first-generation Arab SMW migrants. From December 2022 to March 2023, we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with Arab SMW migrants. Guided by principles of community engagement in research, four community advisors, including three Arab SMW migrants and a mental health service provider, assisted in mock interviews, recruitment, and data analysis. This enriched our thematic analysis providing a nuanced understanding of Arab SMW migrant experiences. Participants reflected diverse nationalities, socioeconomic statuses, and religions and identified as lesbian, bisexual, or queer. Our sample included asylum seekers, documented migrants, and non-binary individuals (assigned female at birth). Findings revealed three major themes: (1) Community- and Interpersonal-Level Stressors, (2) Strategies for Coping with Stressors, and (3) Impact of Intersectional Life Stressors on Mental Health. Community- and interpersonal-level stressors included challenges navigating migration-related stressors, rejection and discrimination from the Arab, queer, and dominant-group (i.e., non-Arab, non-White) communities, and experiences of invalidation of their intersectional identities. Coping mechanisms included avoidance, identity concealment, and seeking social support. Participants reported various mental health impacts, from anxiety, depression to suicidal thoughts, emphasizing the urgency for tailored interventions. Participants called for the development of support groups specifically for Arab SMW migrants.

Barriers and facilitators to healthcare utilisation by Arab sexual minority women migrants in the USA

Limited research on sexual minority women migrants demonstrate that they face elevated rates of mental health problems compared to their heterosexual and male counterparts, and less is known about their healthcare seeking behaviours. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to mental and physical healthcare utilisation among first-generation (foreign-born) Arab sexual minority women migrants in the USA and to assess whether Penchansky and Thomas’ theory of access can be used to understand their healthcare utilisation behaviours. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Employing community-engaged research methods, four advisors, Arab sexual minority women migrants and a mental health service provider, assisted in recruitment and thematic data analysis providing a rich and nuanced understanding of study findings. Five main themes demonstrated the pivotal role of cultural humility from providers and access to medical insurance in shaping healthcare-seeking decisions. Difficulties finding therapists and navigating the referral process and wait times encouraged participants to seek care outside of the USA in their Arab countries of origin. Stigma and social support further influenced participants’ decisions to seek mental healthcare. The study findings inform policy and practice to foster the development of inclusive healthcare services grounded in cultural humility and to develop support groups specifically for Arab sexual minority women migrants to the USA.

The changing geography of interprovincial migration in China: history and new trends

ABSTRACT This paper elucidates how the geography of interprovincial migration in China has evolved with the country’s structural changes over the past 35 years and explores how this geography has developed in the past decade. In synthesizing existing literature, we demonstrate that the coast-inland migration discrepancy emerged in the late 1980s when migration control was relaxed and a coastal development strategy was adopted, reinforced in the 1990s when globalization, marketization, and decentralization unfolded and interprovincial economic disparities increased, and stabilized in the 2000s when the growth of interprovincial economic disparities came to a halt with the country’s shift to a coordinated regional development strategy. Using 2020 Census data, the geography is revealed to have become less skewed between 2010 and 2020, driven primarily by two groups of provinces. One group includes five southeast coastal provinces and two coastal municipalities; the other includes nine southern inland provinces. The southern inland-coast migration flows, which had been growing prior to 2010, have decreased between 2010 and 2020, whereas counterflows have increased greatly. These emerging trends can be attributed to several significant transformations in China’s demography and economic landscape, including the aging of a large number of first-generation migrants, a declining workforce, the relocation of manufacturing industries, and people’s increasing emphasis on public services, the access to which are often tied to the hukou place. Interprovincial migration in China has reached a turning point in terms of geographic changes. The policies on this migration and the geographical framework for analyzing it may need updating.

The Consequences of Evidence- Versus Non-Evidence-Based Understandings of the “Truth”: How Russian Speakers in Germany Negotiate Trust in Their Transnational News Environments

Extant research on migrants’ media use and trust has delivered mixed evidence on whether, and in which ways, migrants stay loyal to their homeland news media and/or develop trust in host-society media, particularly when the narratives of the two types of media clash. To advance this strand of research, this study scrutinizes how an audience group with migration background, who lived the first part of their lives under authoritarian rule but then relocated to a democracy, negotiates trust in their multilingual, transnational news environments. Specifically, we conducted semi-structured interviews with forty-two Russian-speaking first-generation migrants living in Germany in 2021. As we find, distinct understandings of the concept of “truth” played a pivotal role in how our participants negotiated trust in their transnational news environments. We distinguish broadly two understandings of “truth”: (1) “truth” as a category grounded in factual evidence and (2) “truth” as a non-evidence based category grounded in values, emotions, or identities. Illustrative for the second understanding, some participants felt a strong moral obligation to believe Kremlin-sponsored media as they perceived these organizations as representing their homeland, independently of whether their news coverage was factually accurate or not. The two understandings of “truth” also affected how and where participants sought for what they considered the “truth.” In the “Discussion” section, we argue that particularly the non-evidence-based truth-understandings formulated by our participants, and the ensuing truth-seeking strategies are conducive to the reach and persuasive impact of Kremlin-sponsored content among Russian speakers living abroad.

Этнический потенциал формирования человеческих ресурсов российской Арк­тики

The reproduction of the old-timer population and first-generation migrants, the demographic dynamics of the status ethnic groups of the national republics of the Russian North (Karelians, Komi, Tuvans and Yakuts) and the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East form the population and human resources of the Russian Arctic. Those working on a rotational basis partly cover the need for labor resources. Each group of human resources demonstrates distinctive demographic dynamics and contributes to the formation of human resources in the Russian Arctic. The purpose of the study is to assess each component of the formation of human resources in the Russian Arctic. The authors conclude that there has been a high decline in the old-timer population and new settlers since the 1990s and reveal the multidirectional dynamics of the status and indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, though emphasize that their number in Russia is almost half of the human resources of the Russian Arctic. Materials from the population censuses of 1926—2021make up the information base of the study.

Children’s sex composition and transition to higher-order birth among Turkish migrants in Europe and their non-migrant counterparts in Turkey: does having a son matter?

ABSTRACT A growing literature examines parental sex preferences for their children among migrant communities in Western countries and investigates whether migrants’ preferences align with those of the native population. Changes in preference may indicate cultural and structural assimilation into the destination country. We adopted a dissimilation from origins conceptual perspective and compared migrants’ behavior to that of their non-migrant peers in the origin country. We used the unique 2000 Families dataset, which includes multi-generational data on both early labor migrants to Europe and non-migrants from the same regions of origin in Turkey. The study provides the first examination of parental sex preferences for their children and fertility among Turkish migrants and their descendants in Europe and their non-migrant counterparts in Turkey. The findings show ongoing son preference among first-generation migrants and their children, thus supporting the theory of cultural persistence.

Lost in translation? Deciphering the role of language differences in the excess risk of psychosis among migrant groups.

Migration is a well-established risk factor for psychotic disorders, and migrant language has been proposed as a novel factor that may improve our understanding of this relationship. Our objective was to explore the association between indicators of linguistic distance and the risk of psychotic disorders among first-generation migrant groups. Using linked health administrative data, we constructed a retrospective cohort of first-generation migrants to Ontario over a 20-year period (1992-2011). Linguistic distance of the first language was categorized using several approaches, including language family classifications, estimated acquisition time, syntax-based distance scores, and lexical-based distance scores. Incident cases of non-affective psychotic disorder were identified over a 5- to 25-year period. We used Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) for each language variable, after adjustment for knowledge of English at arrival and other factors. Our cohort included 1 863 803 first-generation migrants. Migrants whose first language was in a different language family than English had higher rates of psychotic disorders (IRR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16), relative to those whose first language was English. Similarly, migrants in the highest quintile of linguistic distance based on lexical similarity had an elevated risk of psychotic disorder (IRR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.24). Adjustment for knowledge of English at arrival had minimal effect on observed estimates. We found some evidence that linguistic factors that impair comprehension may play a role in the excess risk of psychosis among migrant groups; however, the magnitude of effect is small and unlikely to fully explain the elevated rates of psychotic disorder across migrant groups.

Neighborhood social composition and refugee mental health - quasi-experimental evidence of associations from a Danish population register study.

Refugees are at an elevated risk of some mental disorders with studies highlighting the contributing role of post-migration factors. Studies of migrant groups show neighborhood social composition, such as ethnic density, to be important. This is the first longitudinal study to examine this question for refugees and uses a novel quasi-experimental design. We followed a cohort of 44 033 refugees from being first assigned housing under the Danish dispersal policy, operating from 1986 to 1998, until 2019. This comprised, in effect, a natural experiment whereby the influence of assigned neighborhood could be determined independently of endogenous factors. We examined three aspects of neighborhood social composition: proportion of co-nationals, refugees, and first-generation migrants; and subsequent incidence of different mental disorders. Refugees assigned to neighborhoods with fewer co-nationals (lowest v. highest quartile) were more likely to receive a subsequent diagnosis of non-affective psychosis, incident rate ratio (IRR) 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.48), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), IRR 1.21 (95% CI I.05-1.39). A comparable but smaller effect was observed for mood disorders but none observed for stress disorders overall. Neighborhood proportion of refugees was less clearly associated with subsequent mental disorders other than non-affective psychosis, IRR 1.24 (95% CI 1.03-1.50). We found no statistically significant associations with proportion of migrants. For refugees, living in a neighborhood with a lower proportion of co-nationals is related to subsequent increased risk of diagnosed mental disorders particularly non-affective psychosis and PTSD.

Family dynamics towards heritage language maintenance

This article investigates Family Language Policy and grassroots-level practices of the heritage language speakers who are first-generation migrants of Indian background in Northern Ireland. Having been settled since the 1920s, Indians are one of the longest-established ethnic minorities in the region, representing around 0.5% of the total non-white residents. Whilst languages of migrant communities brought further complexity to the existing linguistic diversity of Northern Ireland, discussions around language policy in this geopolitical domain focus primarily on its two indigenous languages: Irish and Ulster-Scots. There is no particular policy to promote the languages of migrant communities. Drawing on ethnographic observations and two focus groups, the article analyses the language dynamics of eight Belfast-based families. It further demonstrates how these parents become policy intermediaries by monitoring their children’s heritage language learning through explicit teaching, creating a favourable literacy atmosphere at home, ensuring its use in the family through continuous policing and developing identity through constant dialogue with children about Indian culture. Although the under-the-radar participation of these parents may appear intermittently in the policy discourse, their actions can be interpreted as bottom-up language planning to contest the monopoly of the dominant language and culture in the broader community.

Disparities in Access to a Regular Primary Care Physician Among First-Generation Migrants with Early Psychosis in Ontario, Canada.

Disparities in primary care utilization among migrants with early psychosis may be related to lack of access to a regular primary care physician. This study aimed to investigate access to a regular primary care physician among first-generation migrants with early psychosis. People aged 14-35 years with first onset non-affective psychotic disorder in Ontario, Canada were identified in health administrative data (N = 39,440). Access to a regular primary care physician through enrollment in the year prior to diagnosis was compared between first-generation migrants (categorized by country of birth) and the general population using modified Poisson regression. Most migrant groups had a lower prevalence of regular primary care physician access relative to the general population, particularly migrants from Africa (African migrants: 81% vs. non-migrants: 89%). Adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors attenuated these differences, although the disparities for migrants from Africa remained (PR = 0.96, 95%CI = 0.94-0.99). Interventions aimed at improving primary care physician access in migrant groups may facilitate help-seeking and improve pathways to care in early psychosis.

Social identity, mental health and the experience of migration.

Evidence suggests that social identities, which provide purpose and a sense of belonging, enhance resilience against psychological strain and safeguard well-being. This applies to first-generation migrant populations facing adverse experiences, including prejudice and disconnection from previous identities during host country integration, negatively impacting their well-being. The importance of social identity also extends to first-generation migrant descendants, confronting dual-identity challenges and experiencing exclusion and discrimination despite being native born. Building on the social identity approach to mental health, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate how migrants construct their social identities, their perspective on the challenges and changes they experience in relation to group memberships and ultimately, the influence this has on their psychological well-being. Findings emphasize the significance of social identity continuity and gain pathways in first-generation migrants' successful adjustment and psychological well-being. For second-generation migrants, dual-identity development is especially difficult during adolescence due to social exclusion and discrimination in schools. Even in early adulthood, pressure to maintain heritage identity can lead to negative mental health outcomes over time. The current study contributes to and strengthens the social identity approach to migrant mental health and has wider implications for psychological interventions and policy.

Young Speakers of a Heritage Language: Hakka Speakers in Vienna

Increased global migratory mobility lead to ‘superdiverse’ societies especially in urban agglomerations, with many family languages. Overseas Chinese, frequently in a secon­dary migration, reached European countries and established their own close-knit communities. A smaller portion of the Hakka community from Calcutta settled in Vienna (Austria) showing an interesting layering of identities as Chinese, Hakkas, Indians, Austrians -- with family ties to Toronto and other places. While the first generation of migrants is typically restrained by the linguistic barrier of the literate national language which is practically inaccessible to adult newcomers, their offspring is firmly embedded in the new culture, and therefore presents a last generation of speakers of the heritage language. In a series of qualitative interviews, young Hakka speakers from the (Austrian) Indian Hakka community were queried about their linguistic and identitarian situation, as well as their linguistic competence in Hakka, in the context of our global research on overseas Hakka usage. The young speakers effortlessly shifted from Hakka to German at kindergarten age, keeping Hakka as means of communication inside the family; some had to act as family translators when growing older. The Hakka language is held in high esteem but is being used and perceived strictly as a family language. Contrary to the older generation, there are no strong ties to other Hakka speakers, let alone a wider Hakka community. Hakka identity and family origin relate back to India and often globally spread-out families with whom English is the best means of communication. A Chinese ancestry is a fact without much influence on the lives. The linguistic competence in Hakka is restricted to their own dialect and familial matters, as is typical of ‘weak speakers’ of a declining minority language. The language shift to German, higher education, and their emancipation from the ‘ethnic’ profession of running Chinese restaurants are indications of the full integration of the next generation into the local culture.

Ethnic differences in pathways to obtain care, maintain care and engage to Early Intervention Service in Spain

IntroductionEthnicity and migration have an impact on illness models and consequently how, when and where people seek and obtain care. Early Intervention Psychosis (EIP) teams attend high rates of migrant and ethnic diverse populations but the study of ethnic differences in pathways to obtain and maintain care is still scarce . The most consistent findings are that minorities are less involved with primary services, have a higher risk of being treated in a coercive way and are at higher risk of early disengagement. Despite the increasing migration rates there has been very little investigation in Spain.ObjectivesTo investigate ethno-racial differences in pathways to obtain care, adherence and engagement during their first year of follow-up of subjects who start treatment at EIP of Reus, Catalonia, SpainMethodsParticipantsThis is an observational 12 months follow-up retrospective study including all consecutively subjects with First Episode of Psychosis (FEP) referred to the EIP from January 2015 to January 2019. Visible ethno-racial status was self-reported being grouped as belonging to minority ethno-racial group if they were coded “any other than White regardless of country of origin”. ‘White’ was the majority groupStudy variables:At program entry:Source of referralAt 12- months:Adherence to the service:Admissions to in-patient unitDisengagementResults184 FEP subjects (mean age 22.8 years and 66.1% of males) were included. Nearly 31% belonged to a minority ethno-racial group being the Maghrebi (60.4%) followed by the Latin-American (20.1%) the most frequent minority groups. The 81.2% of the minority group were first-generation migrants and 7.5% second generation migrants. The 52.2 % were referred from community services, 18.5% from emergency unit and 29.3% from inpatient unit. At follow up 64.5%, were highly adherent to EIP (> 75% of attended appointments), 16.7% required hospitalization and 11% disengaged. Multivariate analysis showed that the minority group was 2.19 times more likely to be low adherent [(95% CI 0.78-3.17; p=0.03], 2.89 times more likely to be hospitalised [(95% CI 1.20-6.98); p=0.01], and 4 times more likely to disengage from the EIP [(95% CI 1.35-11.90); p= 0.01] during follow-up than the majority group. No group differences were found in pathways to obtain care or in causes of disengagement.ConclusionsIn agreement with previous studies from other countries we found high rates of ethno-racial diversity in the EIP of Reus. In addition, we also found inequalities in the use of services, being minorities more likely to disengage, to be low adherent to the program and at greater risk of hospitalization. On contrary to other studies we did not find significant differences between groups in the source of referral to EIPDisclosure of InterestNone Declared

Straddling two homes: Our evolving identities as first-generation migrant clinical psychology trainees in the UK

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul BuliaThis article draws on the experiences of clinical psychology training in the United Kingdom as discussed by three trainee clinical psychologists who identify as first-generation migrants. We reflect on the difficulties that accompany migration in the context of the Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) and offer recommendations for aspiring clinical psychologists, fellow trainees, training courses, colleagues, and supervisors.

Ways to Improve Uptake of Tier 2 Weight Management Programmes in BAME Communities in Medway

Overweight and obesity is usually determined by Body Mass Index (BMI). Twelve BAME adults participated in the interviews: six were female, ten were first-generation migrants, three were retirees, none lived with a disability, and all were concerned about their excess weight. There were four themes from the data and eight subthemes obtained. To improve the uptake of the weight management service provided in Medway, the participants recommended the use of strategies such as indigenous food labelling, BAME-led clinics, the use of translated leaflets, the recruitment of local weight management champions, better coordination of services, appropriate communication strategies, and further research. This study investigated a small sample of English-speaking participants, which may not represent all people from BAME backgrounds in Medway and across the United Kingdom (UK). This study investigated the perspectives of residents who are overweight or obese, as well as weight management concerns among ethnically diverse adults. It also investigated how to increase the use of weight management services in Medway, England. In Medway, 69.2% of adults are living with overweight or obesity, which is considerably higher than the national average of 62%. Indigenous food labelling, BAME-led clinics, the use of translated leaflets, the recruitment of local weight management champions, better coordination of services, appropriate communication strategies, and further research are essential ingredients that can be used to improve access to and uptake of weight management programmes in BAME communities.

Travelling memories, the afterlife of feelings, and associative diffraction in oral histories of Northern Irish migrants to Britain during the Troubles

ABSTRACT This article proposes an innovative analytical framework for understanding memory work in oral history interviews with migrants who experienced the Troubles in Northern Ireland before migrating to Britain. Integrating theories of diasporic subjectivity from migration studies with conceptual developments in oral history and current research on memory, temporality and the history of emotions, it focuses on transnational dynamics in ‘travelling memories’ of the Troubles brought to Britain by first-generation migrants; the long temporal ‘afterlife of feelings’ attached to conflict memories; and the process of ‘associative diffraction’ whereby chronologically sequential memories are interrupted, fragmented and recombined in achronological sequences linking diverse temporal moments and spatial locations. The utility of these concepts is explored in an intensive analysis of memory dynamics and subjectivity in a single interview, with Siobhán O’Neill, who grew up Catholic, working-class and queer in nationalist/republican West Belfast at the epicentre of conflict violence, and moved to London in 1986. The article argues that the specificities of individual migration stories such as Siobhán’s resist conventional generalisation, and offers a new theoretical and methodological framework for the systematic investigation of quotidian experiences, memories and silences that are unexplored in the established historiographies of the Troubles and the Irish diaspora in Britain.