Migration and ageing: The sense of belonging of first-generation Portuguese migrants in Luxembourg

The need to belong is fundamental to human beings and constitutes a basis for subjective well-being. It is closely linked to further concepts, such as identification, connectedness, attachment, fitting in and feeling “at home”. Migration is a life transition that entails changes in social and emotional belonging. Former social network members might be left behind in the country of origin, and an important developmental task for migrants is therefore the establishment of bonds in the receiving country. As first-generation immigrants of the past decades are now close to retirement age, the question of home and belonging has become particularly pertinent also with regard to their future plans and concerning their intergenerational relations.
The present contribution will focus on the sense of belonging of first generation Portuguese immigrants living in Luxembourg by drawing on data from the FNR-funded IRMA study on “Intergenerational Relations in the light of Migration and Ageing”. Selected results with regard to future plans and intergenerational relations will be presented. Further, applying the lens of cultural psychology of semiotic mediation, the development of a sense of belonging will be traced by taking a life span perspective and drawing on concepts such as proculturation and the Trajectory Equifinality Approach.