Original scientific paper

"The world is my oyster": Well-educated Australian-Croatian citizens in the era of global mobilities

Jasna Čapo orcid.org/0000-0001-6181-2860 ; Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb

Abstract

By pointing to the limitations of “the teleology of the homeland return” and ‘ethnicity’ in explaining the post-migration generations’ move towards the country of their ancestors, the paper attempts to give mobility per se a place within interpretations of migration processes. Specifically, it addresses the case of the relocation of the descendants of Croatian immigrants to Australia to the country of their parents, Croatia. Mobility (hi)stories of the descendants of Croatian immigrants to Australia do not speak in favour of the thesis that by coming to Croatia they respond to existential longing or diasporic yearning for home in today’s unstable world. Nor do they indicate that ethnic/national belonging is at the core of their motivation to relocate to Croatia. They point out that their prime motivation embraces travelling — given shape by both the regional and global mobility patterns of their peers, specifically by the culturally shaped tradition of ‘overseas experience’ or ‘working holiday’ practiced by young Australians. Since travelling of the descendants of Croatian immigrants to Australia takes place against a background of transnational ways of being and belonging sustained across generations between Australia and Croatia, it has eventually brought them to a decision to relocate to Croatia. Therefore, rather than motivating the relocation itself, ethnic ancestry appears as its facilitator.

Keywords

migrants; post-migration generations; return; mobility; Australians; Australia; Croatians

Hrčak ID:

102749

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/102749

Publication date:

28.5.2013.

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