Special Issue Article
“Now I Know Norway from Within”: Boundary Work and Belonging in Au Pairs’ Narratives
Author:
Olga Tkach
Centre for Independent Social Research (CISR), St. Petersburg, RU
Abstract
This article analyses how female au pairs from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) perceive some aspects of Norwegian society – public arrangements and rules; localities and social environment; and privacy and culture of parenting – to express their belonging to it. Applying the concept of boundary work, and drawing on in-depth biographical interviews with current and former au pairs, I show how they find their own place in a new context. I argue that boundary work through comparisons with the hosting Other and active reflection on differences and similarities of Norwegian and post-Soviet realities enables au pairs to appropriate new cultural and social sources and become more enthusiastic about subsequent integration in the host country.
How to Cite:
Tkach, O., 2016. “Now I Know Norway from Within”: Boundary Work and Belonging in Au Pairs’ Narratives. Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 6(4), pp.224–233. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1515/njmr-2016-0032
Published on
01 Dec 2016.
Peer Reviewed
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