A sense of belonging as a problem of identity in adolescence

A documentary reconstruction focusing on young people from the so-called third generation of migrants

Abstract

A sense of belonging is one of the key orientational challenges of adolescence and takes on particular significance in the context of a society characterised by migration. Whilst previous research has primarily examined identity constructions, integration processes and social participation, this paper focuses on the question of how young people from the so-called third generation of migrants deal with belonging as an orientational challenge. The study is based on six guided interviews, which were analysed using the Documentary Method. It reconstructs the implicit frameworks of orientation through which the young people relate family expectations, societal attributions and their own visions of the future to one another. The comparative analysis of the case studies identifies three logics of action: a sense of belonging is linked to self-determination, arises from sustainable relationships, and is established through shared spaces of experience. Furthermore, a common mode of orientation emerges across the cases, in which social expectations are assessed for their compatibility with one’s own life plan. The findings illustrate that belonging does not function as a stable characteristic or category of identity, but rather as a socially produced and practically negotiated orientation. This paper expands reconstructive migration and youth research by reconstructing belonging as an implicit framework of orientation in everyday practice, thereby shifting the focus from categorical attributions to the reconstruction of orientations that guide action.