Conclusion: Inclusive Ways of Feeling at Home?

Abstract

As I have argued in this book — and many others have shown in their work — we need to take emotions related to ‘feeling at home’ very seriously. ‘Belonging’ is an existential need — even for the most chronically mobile among us (Gustafson, 2009; Nowicka, 2007). And while ‘home-making’ strategies may differ, ‘home’ is meaningful to everyone in one way or another. Being threatened in one’s home feelings is one of the main reasons for all kinds of struggle and violence (Stein, 2001). As the vast literature on nationalism (Appadurai, 1990; Calhoun, 1999; Hearn, 2007; Holy, 1998; Scheff, 2006) shows, (the lack of) home feelings has been crucial for both those who want to create a ‘pure’ homeland and for those excluded from the nation, wandering in diaspora and longing to return (Abdelhandy, 2008; Marshall-Fratani, 2006; Rose, 2005; Thiranagama, 2007).