Deconstructing belonging in lifestyle migration:Tracking the emotional negotiations of the British in rural France

Benson, M. (2016) Deconstructing belonging in lifestyle migration:Tracking the emotional negotiations of the British in rural France. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 19 (5). pp. 481-494. ISSN 1367-5494

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Abstract

This article examines the emotional negotiations that mark the lived experience of Britons residing in rural France – a paradigmatic case of lifestyle migration – to develop a nuanced understanding of how the lifestyle migrant subject is (re)constructed through migration and settlement. In contrast to presentations of these migrations – both by scholars and migrants themselves – as a freely chosen self-realization project, the lens on emotion and affect brings into sharp relief the ambivalence experienced by many of these migrants despite their apparent privilege. It highlights the value of moving beyond narratives of migration into lived experience; it stresses the importance of recognizing that even for the middle classes belonging is a project-in-progress rather than fait accompli; it promotes the idea of lifestyle migrants as translocal subjects, belonging further complicated by ongoing attachments to people and places elsewhere. Through these foci, the article brings together research on lifestyle migration with that on the middle classes and belonging.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
European Journal of Cultural Studies
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3316
Subjects:
?? CULTURAL STUDIES ??
ID Code:
155914
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
09 Jun 2021 13:45
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
21 Oct 2023 00:32