Making Connections: Second-Generation Children and the Transnational Field of Relations

Abstract

Migrant and refugee children's and youth's experiences of transnational ties and processes are not well documented in the literature on transnationalism. Existing studies concentrate on children's socialisation or their future as second-generation adults. This article studies second-generation children and youths as subjects of transnational social relations. It focuses on two aspects: the formation of social relationships, and the orientations and forms of belonging that emerge. The article shows how children are incorporated into two types of network: one spanning the places of origin and destination, the other spanning several countries. The family mediates children's transnational ties and activities, but children also connect to their cross-border family members, particularly cousins, and form friendships across borders. This does not happen on its own, but must be mediated through return visits to the place of origin or to third countries. The transnational field of relations opens up a space in which to negotiate identity and belonging in relation to different places. The paper argues that, in contemporary societies, transnational fields of relations form a significant context for children's everyday lives. Further, the article posits that the social relationships which children build during their childhood can aid our understanding of the continuity of transnational engagement in the adult second generation.

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