Situating experiences of immigrant belonging in the workplace: South Africans in the United States

ABSTRACT

In line with contemporary cultural geography migration studies that embrace a place-based approach, this article examines experiences of immigrant belonging within the underacknowledged social context of the workplace. In-depth interviews with 18 South African immigrants living and working in the Northeast region of the United States (U.S.) enabled an exploration of the subjective meanings and differential experiences of individuals while staying attentive to articulations of context. This approach was informed by a recognition of the relational, contextual, and contingent nature of migrant belonging. The findings of the study suggest that South African immigrant employees are not only advantageously positioned by relatively high levels of cultural capital, but also benefit from social discourse and immigration narratives in the U.S. workplace context. The article also presents various strategies and practices that participants have employed to negotiate belonging within their places of work, and considers the significance of the workplace as a source of belonging for South African immigrants in the U.S.

KEYWORDS:

• Immigrant belonging
• workplace
• South African
• United States
• migration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Danielle K. Allen

Danielle Allen completed her PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies. Her thesis explored the immigrant experiences of South Africans in the United States.