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Paper short abstract:

Based on in-depth interviews with Latvian Roma the aim of the paper is to analyse how do they “do belonging” and to reveal materiality of home at a time when a large part of the Roma is in movement (~40% have emigrated to UK) and the lives of many of them take place in a virtual environment.

Paper long abstract:

A century and a half of accelerated movement in north Eastern Europe as well as the recent months of forced migration from Ukraine both highlight the necessity and provides opportunities to examine the conceptualization and new understandings of place, home, and belonging for different generations and ethnic communities. This can also be seen in the case of Latvian Roma. Roma people in Latvia are characterized by a strong feeling of place attachment fundamentally shaped by habitual social interactions, ethnic traditions, and their neighborhoods. However, the regime changes during the 20th and 21th century and waves of emigration have intensified the question of relationships between place, home, and belonging. Based on in-depth interviews with Latvian Roma who have left the country since the 2000s as well as those who have returned to their home country or are still settling down after remigration, the aim of the paper is to analyse how do they “do belonging”. Does the environment or place where they live affect everyday practices, identity and social relations (i.e., what one can or cannot do in the place, compared to other places)? How do translocal networks and experiences contribute to the process of belonging? The multidisciplinary approach to life story analysis will reveal Roma’s sense of belonging and materiality of home at a time when a large part of the Roma is in movement and the lives of many of them take place in a virtual environment.