Home abroad: Eastern European children’s family and peer relationships after migration

Abstract

Despite a recent upsurge in migration research, the impact of family migration on children’s relationships has received relatively little attention. The existing literature is only beginning to give a voice to migrant children. This article aims to address this gap, as it draws on findings from a qualitative study conducted with 57 Eastern European children, newly arrived in Scotland. By exploring how children perceive old and new friendships after migration, as well as the changes that migration brings in family dynamics and roles, the article offers an understanding of children’s everyday practices that condition their social interactions after migration. It also reveals the centrality of children’s agency and the complex nature of the mechanisms which underpin children’s relationships after migration and emphasizes the multi-sited nature of migrant children’s lives.