To have both roots and wings: nested identities in the case of Bulgarian students in the UK

Abstract

Bulgarian migrants and university students in particular have recently fallen into the spotlight of British media, firmly positioned within fervent immigration debates. Drawing on Brewer’s concept of nested identities, this paper explores how Bulgarian university students in the UK manage four different identifications: national, European, migrant and student. Thus, the process of establishing nested identities is investigated on three different contextual levels: the transnational, regional and the everyday (at university and at the workplace). Paying particular attention to the factors that influence the process, this article also scrutinises its implications for Bulgarian students’ values and perceptions. Utilising semi-structured interviews and participant observation with Bulgarian students, this paper will argue that the four identifications emerge as highly dynamic, context-specific and constantly negotiated relationships. Retrospectively, this article aims to contribute not only to current literature on Bulgarian migration but also to wider debates on transnational youth identities.

KEYWORDS:

• nested identities
• Bulgarian
• student
• migrant
• European
• values

Acknowledgements

I am incredibly indebted to the editors of this special edition, Professor Tracey Reynolds and Dr Elisabetta Zontini, for their helpful suggestions to earlier drafts of this paper. I would like thank three anonymous reviewers, an Identities Associate Editor, Emma Craddock and Rupal Patel, for their constructive criticism. The responsibility for this paper, however, is mine alone.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The second data set is part of my ongoing doctoral study on Bulgarian highly skilled migration in the UK that includes both young professionals and students. Hence, the age criterion served to delineate people aged between 18 and 35 (see Rolfe et al. 2013), whereas location serves to account for regional differences in the attitude towards migrants. Educational level and gender aim to offer a diverse set of responses in relation to young Bulgarian migrants’ experiences. For the purposes of this article, only student data were utilised.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elena Genova

ELENA GENOVA is a Sociology PhD Candidate at the University of Nottingham. She is also the co-convenor of the Postgraduate Migration Network.