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http://hdl.handle.net/1942/40326
Title: | “I was Basically Deaf-Mute. I felt like a Stranger”: Exploring the Role of Language in Older Migrants’ Sense of Home | Authors: | PHLIX, Micheline PETERMANS, Ann Smetcoren, An-Sofie VANRIE, Jan |
Advisors: | Vanrie, Jan Smetcoren, An-Sofie Petermans, Ann |
Issue Date: | 2023 | Publisher: | Source: | Journal of international migration and integration, | Status: | Early view | Abstract: | This article explores the role of language in older migrants’ sense of home. The share of older adults with a migration background in Belgium is growing. However, to date, not much is known about older migrants’ sense of home. Looking at language in particular, research suggests that it is linked to identity, possibly affecting one’s sense of home. Therefore, investigating the role of language in older migrants’ sense of home offers a valuable perspective. To explore older migrants’ sense of home, 19 interviews were conducted. During these interviews, the topic of language came up spontaneously. The results show that language among older migrants can concern both a mobility uplift (e.g., creating social and economic opportunities) and a mobility barrier (e.g., obstructing social relations). Concerning the latter, participants discussed resourceful ways to overcome this barrier (e.g., self-made dictionary). Moreover, the interviews revealed the importance of participants’ native language, which also strongly links to identity. This study highlights the transformative influence of super-diversity on the linguistic field. Finally, the results show that the interrelatedness of language, identity, social relations and other characteristics impacts the construction of a sense of home among older adults with a migration background. | Keywords: | Language;Older migrants;Sense of home;Identity;Super-diversity | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/40326 | ISSN: | 1488-3473 | e-ISSN: | 1874-6365 | DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-023-01063-3 | ISI #: | 001000754300001 | Rights: | © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023 Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law. | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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06485d8b-d28c-4fb7-8ad8-d725236040cb.pdf Restricted Access | Published version | 2.2 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open Request a copy |
Revised paper_Older migrants, language & sense of home - zonder markeringen.docx | Peer-reviewed author version | 667.14 kB | Microsoft Word | View/Open |
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