Day 237, Year of #Mygration: Battling with Belonging

The EU Referendum, and subsequently, Brexit has become a phenomenon within the UK, across Europe and worldwide. Along with a lot of different political debates, constant negotiation, endless talks on trade deals, border issues, and political infighting, what seems to be forgotten is that Brexit has the potential to significantly impact both British born migrants who are living abroad in Europe, and EU citizens who have migrated to Britain from mainland Europe.  

My PhD research project will investigate how EU citizens are making sense of Brexit/EU referendum result and how this is affecting their sense of belonging within an organisational context. However, this blog post will give a little bit of background as to why I am interested in this research topic and how my own experiences may be relatable to those who are continuing to feel a growing uncertainty around their rights to live and work within the UK.  

After starting my research and reading extensively around a sense of belonging and Brexit, I came across a book that has become something I have grown to value and cherish. The book In Limbo: Brexit Testimonies from EU citizens in the UK has amassed personal accounts from EU citizens (living in the UK) who share their experiences and emotional turmoil since the 2016 Referendum. By all accounts, the read is hard-hitting and truthful. It presents the effects the uncertainty Brexit is having on those that it has the potential to impact the most. 

Most of the accounts demonstrate the impact the EU referendum vote has had on individual belonging, and what has occurred to me is that belonging is not necessarily something we actively feel when we belong, it is a part of our everyday life. However, when it is threatened or questioned it becomes more apparent in how we behave. 

Examples from the book consist of:  

These examples are just a few demonstrating the growing sense of unease and uncertainty within the UK. While reading this book it has become clear to me that this battle with belonging is something that I can relate to very well. 

Before embarking on my studies at The Open University, I worked within a family run cleaning company whereby I continually questioned my sense of belonging on a regular basis. This was due to several contributing factors; firstly, there were stigmas and stereotypical views within the cleaning industry which were portrayed with comments such as ‘it’s cleaning, how hard can it be?’ Secondly there was a perception that cleaners are looked down on with a ‘rather you than me’ attitude. On a personal level, I felt I needed to avoid mentioning the manual cleaning elements my job entailed, I thought I didn't belong and didn't fit into my peer groups who at the time all had office jobs, were continuing their studies, or travelling the world. To identify with my peer group, I presented myself with the management and operational aspects of the job, rather than the manual cleaning elements of my job role. Now, on reflection, having begun my PhD research, I can see how my actions were my way of actively trying to fit in.  

Although I am originally from the UK and cannot comprehend what EU citizens may be feeling regarding the uncertainty surrounding their rights to live and work in the UK, I can relate to the sense of belonging individuals may begin to question because of the EU referendum. I did not consciously appreciate the different concepts that were continually a feature in my life, but I have come to appreciate how important it is for me to feel as though I belong. This appreciation has contributed to my motivation to seek to understand better belonging and how this uncertainty may impact EU citizens sense of belonging.   

Having said that EU citizens (living in the UK) are not the only individuals that are facing this uncertainty – the same may be said for British expats who have migrated to Europe - are those individuals feeling similar to EU citizens living and working in UK?  The second book In Limbo Too: Brexit testimonies from UK citizens in the EU was recently published like In Limbo.  I look forward to reading this and gaining insight into how British expats may also be feeling, and further expand my relatability to other individuals who are directly impacted by Brexit.  

One question I continually ask myself is how I would feel if I faced such uncertainty? Moreover, subsequently, I present that question to everyone who may read this post – how would you feel if you had to face such uncertainty?