Who am I and where do I belong? Exploring being and belonging for children seeking sanctuary in the UK

This thesis aimed to understand how children seeking sanctuary in the UK conceive of and experience their identity and belonging. An additional focus was the extent to which the senses contribute towards these psychological processes.

The first chapter introduces the context of forced migration and the challenges it presents to identity and belonging as key aspects of child development. This is discussed through a socio-ecological framework to contextualise the individual child experience.

The second chapter outlines how identity and belonging involve sensory and narrative processes. It summarises the results of a scoping review that highlighted the role of these processes in identity and belonging.

The third chapter presents the findings of a qualitative study that used a creative storyboard method to explore identity and belonging, and the role of sensory processes, amongst 14 primary-age children seeking sanctuary in the UK. Thematic reflexive analysis identified three major themes and eight subordinate themes. The findings demonstrated how identity and belonging for these children can be characterised by (1) Hybrid identity construction: crafting ‘me’; (2) Belonging to shared but stretched worlds: a transnational ‘we’; and (3) Sensory anchors and geographic bridges. The interviewed children showed evidence of a growing awareness of their social positioning and expressed belonging to people and places across transnational networks at multiple intersecting micro and meso-sphere systems. This is partly made possible through sensory symbolism and bridges. Children are constructing their identities through these systemic possibilities and individual imaginings. The findings suggest the greatest support for refugee children may come from multi-level interventions that address synergies across socio-ecological systems.