Return Visits of the Young Albanian Second Generation in Europe: Contrasting Themes and Comparative Host-Country Perspectives

Zana Vathi, Russell King

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (journal)peer-review

    41 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Research on the links of the second generation to their parental homeland, and return visits in particular, is largely lacking. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 75 Albanian teenagers in London, Thessaloniki and Florence, this paper brings a multi-sited perspective on attitudes towards and experiences of homeland visits. Contrasts are drawn between positive themes emerging from the narratives, which are about belonging, family and nature in Albania, and negative impressions which relate to poverty and traditionalism, and a developing sense of boredom as teenagers get older. We then relate some of these contrasting experiences to differences in social integration in the three different host-society contexts. The conclusion elaborates the uniqueness and significance of this case, both in terms of this being the first exploration of the transnational orientations of one of Europe’s newest second generations, and in relation to the home-country context of a liberalising excommunist country still in a state of economic backwardness.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)503-518
    JournalMobilities
    Volume6
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2011

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