Home is Not a Place

Abstract

Recognized as the country with the highest proportion of international migrants, the United Arab Emirates presents an interesting case for studies of migrant communities since its inception in 1971. The laws and regulations of the country restrict any permanent status for its incoming migrants such as naturalization or permanent residency, leaving migrants in a state of permanent temporariness. Children of migrants in the UAE are hence born and raised away from their official nation state and are faced with issues of national and cultural identity, as well as questions of national belonging. Through conducting primary research consisting of semi-structured interviews with Egyptian nationals that have been born and raised in the UAE. The study explores the concept of identity, sense of belonging, and forms of attachment and transnational ties to homeland among second generation Egyptian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates.