Violetta Parutis

'at Home' in Migration: the Social Practices of Constructing 'home' Among Polish and Lithuanian Migrants in London Violetta Parutis

Based on the empirical study of recent Polish and Lithuanian migrants in London, this book challenges the conventional understanding of home and explores the ways in which transnational migration and home construction constitute one another. First, it explores how the notion of ?home? is constructed by recent Polish and Lithuanian migrants, and how it contributes to the making of migrant identity. Second, it demonstrates the importance of ?home? for understanding migrants? behaviour and attitudes. The key starting point of this book is that home is constructed on the basis of everyday social practices. Therefore it investigates strategies which these migrants use to make themselves feel at home in their immediate living and working environment in the UK, but also in the wider British society. The book also considers the relationship of migrants with the home country while in the UK and after return. Research methods used for the study include secondary/contextual data analysis, in-depth interviews with young recent Polish and Lithuanian migrants in London, and ethnography.