Between Proximity and Distance: Adult Migrants’ Belonging in Racialised Social Networks

This article examines how adult migrants in Finland experience belonging through the social networks they form within and beyond institutional contexts. Drawing on ethnographic research, including interviews with 29 adult migrant students and participant observations in two adult education institutions, the present study explores how adult migrants build, sustain and navigate social ties in their everyday lives. It pays particular attention to how education and employment settings influence these connections.

The findings show that structural arrangements in adult education and the labour market often limit opportunities for interaction with the majority population, reinforcing racialised and classed segregation. Institutional logics intended to promote integration may, in practice, reproduce social separation. The emotional experience of belonging is also shaped through everyday encounters, where many participants reported feeling misrecognised or excluded due to racialisation. Intersecting dynamics of race, class and nationality influence who connects with whom, under what conditions and with what consequences.

By foregrounding how institutional and everyday practices shape social ties, the article contributes to debates on integration and social inclusion. It argues that belonging is not simply about participation but instead is a deeply political and affective process shaped by power relations embedded in social life.