Belonging on the Move: A Multi-Method Exploration of Embodied Affect, Place Attachment, and Transnational Mobility in Migrant Lives in Norway

The study investigates how adult migrants to Norway develop a sense of belonging through both attachment and mobility. Building on transnational and mobilities perspectives, it emphasizes embodied affect—the sensory and emotional experiences arising from everyday routines, movements, and interactions with place. Drawing on a three-stage, mixed-method design (life-history interviews, mapping, and walking interviews) and through narrative inquiry focused on two ‘telling cases’, the analysis shows that belonging evolves in the interplay of physical environments, personal and family relationships, and one’s broader social and cultural context. Rather than viewing belonging as solely rooted in fixed locations, the findings highlight how the research participants negotiate a sense of belonging ‘on the move’, across multiple sites. These negotiations entail recalling memories of origin, managing daily routines in Norway, and anticipating future transnational ties. By foregrounding the embodied and affective dimensions of belonging, the paper contributes to a nuanced understanding of migrants’ experiences and underscores how movement and place-based attachment coexist and continually reshape one another.