Abstracts
Abstract
This article aims to explore experiences of “place” among older migrants living in deprived urban neighbourhoods. The data for the present research are derived from two qualitative studies in inner-city neighbourhoods in England and Belgium. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with older Pakistani and Somali people in Manchester and Liverpool, and Turkish and Moroccan elders in Brussels, the paper reviews the variety of ways in which the idea of “home” is created, the constraints and environmental pressures which may prevent people from developing a sense of “home,” and the meaning of transnational ties for the experience of place. The final part of the paper discusses conceptual as well as policy issues raised by the research.
Keywords:
- Aging,
- urban environments,
- migration,
- older migrants,
- place attachment
Résumé
Le présent article explore l’expérience de l’environnement chez les personnes âgées immigrantes vivant dans des quartiers défavorisés. Cette recherche qualitative réalisée dans des cités en Angleterre et en Belgique est fondée sur une série d’entrevues semi-dirigées avec des personnes âgées d’origine pakistanaise et somalienne à Manchester et Liverpool et d’origine turque et marocaine à Bruxelles. L’article montre dans quelle mesure et sous quelles formes est recréée l’idée de « chez-soi » et quelles sont les contraintes pouvant restreindre sa réalisation. On y explore aussi le sens des liens transnationaux dans le lien avec l’environnement. Enfin, l’article se penche sur les concepts et les enjeux politiques soulevés au cours de la recherche.
Mots-clés :
- Vieillissement,
- environnement urbain,
- migration,
- personnes âgées immigrantes,
- lien avec l’environnement
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Appendices
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders in Belgium and the Economic and Social Research Council’s Growing Older Programme in England (Grant No. L480254022). We would like to thank other investigators on this project, including Thomas Scharf, Allison Smith, Dominique Verté, Sema Sönmez and Aycha Bautmans, the interviewers and translators from ethnic groups, the community organisations who were involved in the study, the respective City Councils who were partners in this project and all the residents who participated in the research. We are also grateful to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their feedback and constructive commentary.
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