From Strangers to Citizens? Identity Reconstruction in the Lives of International Migrants

Abstract

This study examines how long-term migrants reconstruct their identities through contrasting migration trajectories within the same host society. While migration has been widely examined from structural and policy perspectives, less attention has been devoted to understanding identity reconstruction as an ongoing narrative process shaped by lived experience. Drawing on acculturation, transnationalism, and intersectionality, the study employed a qualitative multiple-case study grounded in narrative inquiry to examine two long-term migrants residing in the United States, a Syrian refugee woman and a Dutch voluntary migrant. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that identity reconstruction is a dynamic, relational, and intersectional process shaped by the interaction of personal agency and structural conditions. Although both participants ultimately developed a sense of belonging, their identities were reconstructed through markedly different pathways shaped by migration histories and social positioning. Language, institutional participation, and interpersonal relationships emerged as interconnected mechanisms supporting identity development, while ethnicity, religion, gender, migration status, and social positioning influenced opportunities for recognition and participation. The study contributes to migration scholarship by extending contemporary understandings of migrant identity as a relational, narrative, and intersectional process shaped by contrasting migration trajectories rather than a uniform process of integration. The findings also provide practical insights for educational institutions, community organizations, and policymakers seeking to support inclusive forms of migrant integration and belonging.