Belonging and the Self as Enterprise: Place, Relationships and the Formation of Occupation‐Based Identities

Abstract

Research considering young adults' experiences of place is characterised by two focal points: the relationship between place, education and employment; and immaterial aspects of place such as experiences of belonging and relationality. Previous research has worked across these focal points considering, for instance, how symbolic and immaterial factors and social ties can inform mobility choices and experiences. We extend this work by drawing on longitudinal qualitative data to show three ways that place attachment can be a part of the formation of contemporary occupation-based identities. Using the concept of the self as enterprise (Kelly 2013), we mark out this development as part of a broader generational shift in occupational identities. We ultimately find that some young adults can remain in or return to meaningful rural and regional places by developing an occupational identity or 'personal brand' informed by changing occupational demands and enabled by social ties linked to specific places.

Moral Orders of Mobility: Youth Aspirations and ‘Doing’ Social Position in Finland

“…However, in this article, we examine our interview materials using this concept, since it provides a more vivid lens than either 'activation' or 'employability' -the terms used in Finnish and EU policy discourse, as we explain below. Indeed, the term 'aspiration' provides an opportunity to examine the other side of the aspiration coin: aspirations that are directed towards not economic prosperity (material goals) but private life (relational goals), or aspirations comprising plans that involve belonging to a certain place, which may be marginal but is still meaningful (see Cook and Woodman, 2019;Visser et al, 2015). Moreover, even aspirations for working life can resist or differ from current government ideals, and differences in aspirations may reflect social class and gender.…”

Close family bonds and community distrust. The complex emotional experience of a young generation from southern Italy

“…Individual, organizational and cultural factors should be considered in studying youth cultures (Di Martino et al 2018;Galli et al 2019;Giardiello 2020), as well as taking into account the sense of belonging and attachment to local places (Hernandez et al 2007;Bernardo and Palma-Oliveira 2012;Cook and Woodman 2020) and their emotional bonds (Anton and Lawrence 2014). In this vein, several studies by this research team have specifically examined the role of community distrust and emotional place bonds, investigating these specific youth cultures (Arcidiacono, Procentese, and Di Napoli 2007;Di Napoli et al 2019b;Ravn and Demant 2017).…”