“Now I Know Norway from Within”: 'Boundary Work and Belonging in Au Pairs’ Narratives'
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...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Helsinki University Press
2016-12-01
|
| Series: | Nordic Journal of Migration Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journal-njmr.org/articles/209 |
| Summary: | 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. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1799-649X |