Return Visits and Belonging to Countries of Origin among Young People from Refugee Backgrounds

McMichael, C.; Nunn, C.; Gifford, S.; Correa-Velez, I.

doi:10.1111/glob.12149

Return Visits and Belonging to Countries of Origin among Young People from Refugee Backgrounds

McMichael, C.; Nunn, C.; Gifford, S.; Correa-Velez, I.

Authors

C. McMichael

C. Nunn

S. Gifford

I. Correa-Velez

Abstract

In this article, we explore the return visits of resettled young people from refugee backgrounds to their personal and/or ancestral countries of origin. We draw on qualitative data from a longitudinal study of people who fled their country of origin at an early age, many of whom were born or lived for protracted periods in countries of asylum, and resettled in Australia. We demonstrate that return visits are not simply a homecoming; the young people's narratives reflect ambivalent relationships to the homeland experienced across multiple domains of belonging. Accounts of return visits refer to three core domains of belonging – practical national belonging, family connection, and attachment to material places. We argue that a return visit gives these youths a valued opportunity to negotiate and develop their homeland connections, though not necessarily an unambiguous opportunity to belong.

Citation

McMichael, C., Nunn, C., Gifford, S., & Correa-Velez, I. (2017). Return Visits and Belonging to Countries of Origin among Young People from Refugee Backgrounds. Global Networks: A Journal of Transnational Affairs, 17(3), 423-440. https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12149

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	May 2, 2016
Online Publication Date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication Date	Jul 1, 2017
Deposit Date	Jun 2, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Nov 17, 2018
Journal	Global Networks
Print ISSN	1470-2266
Electronic ISSN	1471-0374
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	17
Issue	3
Pages	423-440
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12149

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: McMichael, C., Nunn, C., Gifford, S. & Correa-Velez, I. (2017). Return Visits and Belonging to Countries of Origin among Young People from Refugee Backgrounds. Global Networks, 17(3): 423-440, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12149. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.