Beyond the Country of Origin and the Receiving Society: Differentiated Place Attachments and Homes Among Dominican Immigrants in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study moves beyond traditional questions regarding immigrants' integration into various domains of their receiving societies to explore the meanings of places and the associated feelings of home. By examining how specific geographical locations relate to these feelings, the study illuminates post-migration experiences and realities that are often overlooked in studies of immigrants. Specifically, it explores the significance of both the country of origin and the receiving society in shaping immigrants' feeling of home. Two key findings emerge from this ethnographic research. First, the study underscores the diversity within immigrant communities regarding the perceived location of home, with a particular emphasis on the influence of stepwise migration trajectories on these perceptions. Second, the findings demonstrate that the feeling of home is rooted in a variety of factors. By examining this feeling, this study offers a valuable lens via which to understand immigrants' attachments to both their countries of origin and receiving societies, enriching our understanding of their settlement experiences.