Roam Sweet Home?  A Minor Fieldwork Study on the Identity Constructions of Diaspora Armenians

Sona Sukiasyan; Edgar Darbinyan

doi:10.56673/18294502-sse2024.19.2

Authors

Sona Sukiasyan Gothenburg University
Edgar Darbinyan Confederation of Swedish Enterprise

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56673/18294502-sse2024.19.2

Keywords:

Diaspora, identity, Sweden, Armenians, belonging

Abstract

The study aims to investigate how migrant identities, positionalities, and sense of belonging are informed in the situational interactions with multiple cultures and the local diaspora community in Sweden. Specifically, this study seeks to scrutinize how the identities of diaspora Armenians living in Sweden, with backgrounds in the Middle East, are constantly shaped and reshaped by interactions with different cultures. The aim of the study is best explained by our motivation to see how identities fluctuate and how identity oscillations can affect one’s sense of place and belonging, as well as to understand how our participants narrate and explain the meaning of ‘home․’ Through the personal stories and experiences of the participants, the study aims to deconstruct primordial assumptions about the fixed nature of identities and belonging and analyze the representation of the meaning of diaspora itself in the eyes of the participants.

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