Galimybių šalis: ar gali Jungtinė Karalystė tapti lietuvių emigrantų namais?

Abstract

My doctoral research deals with the ways in which East European migrants construct home in migration. In more detail my aim is to find out how Lithuanian and Polish migrants feel in the UK, what problems they face in relation to their integration into the host society, and what solutions they see that make them feel “more at home” in the immigration country. In this paper I discuss Lithuanian immigrants’ experiences of the UK and how these views reflect their idea of home. I argue that there are 3 different UK from the immigrants’ perspective: the UK as imagined before one actually sees it; the UK upon arrival; and the UK as a place where they settle in. The interview analysis shows that the length of stay in the UK plays a crucial role in the immigrants’ adaptation process. With time they have a better chance to achieve the socio-economic stability in their lives and develop the feeling of belonging to the host environment. How successful they are in their endeavours to create a new home also depends among other things on their qualifications; their attitudes to multiculturalism; and their relationships with the host society and with the local Lithuanian community.