'At certain places you sort of forget that you are coloured': Processes and Intersections of Belonging, Identity and Space in the Indian Diaspora

Abstract

Transnational spaces signify a fluidity of boundaries where migrants must contend with their own sense of belonging. Within these spaces, migrants negotiate their cultural identities in order to develop this sense of belonging. Somerville (2008) describes the need to focus more on processes rather than outcomes when looking at the ways in which identities are constructed. In order to achieve this, one must look at 'ways of doing' rather than 'ways of being'. Research on transnational spaces has recently begun to focus on the second-generation in diasporic spaces. There is a gap in the literature focusing on second-generation migrants, as it has tended to pay more attention to outcomes of identity rather than the processes through which cultural identity is formed. This exploratory paper will examine some of these processes for second-generation Indian migrants living in the diaspora and how this relates to one's sense of belonging by drawing on recent research conducted in Brisbane, Australia. The young women who participated in the research highlight the significance of space and time on the formation of their cultural identities. Through shifting their identities, they enabled a better sense of belonging in different contexts. The main questions for this exploratory paper are: How do Indian young women's senses of belonging shift according to context in transnational spaces? Also, how are these shifting identities a significant part of the process in establishing feelings of belonging and one's cultural identity formation?