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- Title
Home and Sense of Belonging in the Life Stories of First and Second Generations of Latvian Exiles.
- Authors
KRŪMIŅA, Maija
- Abstract
In the end of Second World War many Latvians found refuge in the western countries defining themselves as an exile community. When Latvia regained its independence, the exile was officially put to an end, however, most part of exiles did not return. Hence, the question arises: how different generations of exile Latvians define their attachment to their homeland and to their host countries? The study is based on the analysis of the life story interviews gathered at the Latvian National Oral History Collection. In general, these life stories are consistent with the observation that the ability to rebuild homes does not deny the importance of territorial identity; instead, it highlights the different ways in which homes and mobility can interact with each other (Murcia 2019). As evident from the experience of both first- and second-generation exiles, homes, even for those for whom they are fixed in a particular place, are dynamic -- associated with changes in time and space, attitudes, and feelings of belonging. As a result, some are neither separated from the place left in the past, nor really integrated into the current place, while others form a connection to all the places they have inhabited during their life.
- Subjects
LATVIA; EXILE (Punishment); WORLD War II; WESTERN countries
- Publication
Journal of Identity & Migration Studies, 2021, Vol 15, Issue 2, p133
- ISSN
1843-5610
- Publication type
Article