Identity Oscillation in the Process of Repatriation

Abstract

Migratory flows have become a common practice in our modern society. They include a series of linguistic, social and cultural phenomena that transcend national borders due to various technological and geopolitical advancements (Garcia e Wei 2014; Canagarajah, 2017). Identity is a dynamic phenomenon whose formation and subsequent (re)shaping depends on a variety of societal conditions. It is therefore flexible since the processes of the individual’s self-identification as well as the identification with other members of the society never seem to stop (Jenkins, 2008). When immerged into migratory experiences, identities are subject to profound alterations which consequently lead to the emergence of hybrid identities (Pavlenko e Blackledge 2004). In attempting to grasp the complexity of migratory experience, Faist (2000) and Castles and Miller (2003) proposed the multi-level migration systems theory which consists of three intertwined and constantly overlapping levels. The macro level takes into account the global perspective of a receiving country along with all of its political, economic and cultural opportunities. In contrast with global outlook, the micro level considers an individual’s personal expectations in a foreign country. Finally, the meso level refers to social, symbolic and transactional networks which intercede among the first two levels (Block, 2006). Considering the dynamic nature of identity, the aim of the present research was threefold as it aimed to investigate the migratory motivations, the critical experiences and the effect of the migration during an individual’s formative years on his or her self-identification. Three hypotheses were formulated: (1) The macro, meso, and micro levels of the multi-level migration system theory will undergo changes in the participants who have experienced the double migration; (2) Critical experiences will provoke destabilisation of the identities of the repatriated participants; (3) Participants who have spent a part of their formative years in Italy will have a hybrid perception of their identity and those who migrated in adulthood will manifest less fluctuating identity dynamics. The eight participants of this qualitative research repatriated in Croatia after a prolonged stay in Italy and their identity (re)constructions have been investigated with semi-structured interviews which served as guidance in the formation of their life stories. The transcripts of their oral narratives have been examined with the content analysis method. The obtained results indicate that the macro level never altered despite the double migratory experience, while micro and meso levels were subjected to significant changes. Therefore, the first hypothesis was partially confirmed. The second hypothesis was confirmed since all the participants had critical experiences which provoked a sort of destabilisation of their identities. Finally, in verifying the third hypothesis, we established that identities of all the participants who migrated in adulthood were tied solely to the country in which they spent their formative years while two out of three participants who have spent a part of their formative years in Italy have a double identity. This research suggests a possible existence of an even greater impact of migration when moving during the formative years and indicates a strong role of the language in identity (re)modelling.