Abstract
Scotland has long portrayed itself as a welcoming, tolerant, and progressive country which is inclusive towards migrant groups, often drawing on comparisons with other parts of the UK. This has helped to create a macro-narrative of Scottish distinctiveness (Nicolson and Korkut, 2022). However, this progressive narrative does not always align with the everyday experiences of migrants living in the country, who often experience racism and discrimination. This discord between narrative and lived experience takes centre stage in this qualitative study.A narrative enquiry methodology is used to explore mundane events and everyday interactions for five young adult migrants who have settled in Glasgow over the last 10-years, as well as one local-born participant. Creative arts research methods were also used to generate participant artworks, including collage, which provide a fresh perspective for analysis. This approach allows for the visualisation of identities, and everyday routines. Additionally, the opinions of selected Scottish politicians have been collected to gather an additional viewpoint of political narratives surrounding identity, diversity, and immigration in Scotland.
An Ontological Security Theory (OST) theoretical framework is used to analyse how study participants seek to establish individual security through a variety of coping mechanisms (Giddens, 1991). The analysis explores how young adult migrant individuals employ self-securitising measures, negotiate their identities, and, in some cases, adopt nationalist political behaviours, to avoid the experience of ontological insecurity. The study has important considerations for research on migrant identities, and in sub-state nationalist political contexts, as well as marking a return to the micro-application of OST study.
While the extant OS literature has highlighted the importance of individual biographical narratives on identity negotiation, this study emphasises the significance of collective narratives in guiding the everyday behaviours of migrant subjects. It seeks to answer the following key research questions:
How do macro-narratives influence the interpretation of everyday events for young adults of migrant background in Scotland?
To what extent can an OST perspective help us to understand the security-seeking processes of young adult migrants?
| Date of Award | 2023 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Katy Proctor (Supervisor) & Umut Korkut (Supervisor) |